sikdar@davidsys.com (04/02/91)
I am looking for anon FTP sources for the PCBridge and PCRoute Software. Am I correct in assuming that they are public domain, - or are they commercial software. Also, are there any Pkt Driver+SLIP/PPP combo available for either the PC serial port or a 56/64 k serial card ? Does the PCBridge support IEEE-802.1 Spanning Tree Protocol ? Appreciate any help. Som Sikdar DAVID Systems sikdar@davidsys.com
ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) (04/03/91)
sikdar@davidsys.com writes: > >I am looking for anon FTP sources for the PCBridge and PCRoute Software. Try acns.nwu.edu 129.105.49.1 (it *is* PD). -- Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu
amc@cup.portal.com (Alan Michael Crawley) (04/11/91)
PCroute is no longer public domain. It is commercial share-ware. All rights were purchased by LANport Inc. from Northwest University. Contract signed in Feb 1991. Copyright not yet changed everywhere. To register for info on enhancements, support and licensing contact : LANport Inc. 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 180 Pleasanton, CA 94566 FAX (415)462-4805 Phone (415)462-8700
dplatt@ntg.uucp (Dave Platt) (04/12/91)
In article <41137@cup.portal.com> amc@cup.portal.com (Alan Michael Crawley) writes: >PCroute is no longer public domain. It is commercial share-ware. >All rights were purchased by LANport Inc. from Northwest University. Contract >signed in Feb 1991. Copyright not yet changed everywhere. Ummm... as Nomad said, "Non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated." By definition, something that has been released into the public domain means that anybody can do anything to and with it, for no fee whatsoever. "Public domain" means that _nobody_ has a copyright on it. If, in fact, a version of PCRoute was explicitly released into the public domain by its authors, then anyone may continue to use this version for free, forever. On the other hand, if PCRoute is "Copyright Northwest University, may be used for free", then it's not public-domain. It's "freeware"... the authors are retaining the rights, and are granting people a fee-free license to use it. Legally, that's quite different from "public domain"; it means that the authors retain the rights to dictate who may do what with their product (they can, for example, forbid people to sell it). I don't know which of the two situations holds true for various versions of PCRoute, as I don't have a copy on-line here. I suspect that it's the latter. I'd suggest that anyone who is using an existing version of PCRoute might want to check whatever copyright, README, and licensing documents came with the software. -- Dave Platt VOICE: (415) 813-8917 UUCP: ...apple!ntg!dplatt USNAIL: New Technologies Group Inc. 2468 Embarcardero Way, Palo Alto CA 94303
gary@sci34hub.sci.com (Gary Heston) (04/13/91)
In article <41137@cup.portal.com> amc@cup.portal.com (Alan Michael Crawley) writes: >PCroute is no longer public domain. It is commercial share-ware. >All rights were purchased by LANport Inc. from Northwest University. Contract >signed in Feb 1991. Copyright not yet changed everywhere. Sorry, you're out of luck on all existing distributed copies. You may very well have future rights for an enhanced version of PCroute, by you have NO claim on any which were distributed prior to any agreement you signed with Northwest. You also can't control the existing copies--anybody who has one can redistribute it to anyone, without any obligation to you. Once released into the public domain, it's public domain. Anyone can use it, or modify it for their own use, freely and without charge. Anyone can pass it on to anyone else. It is possible to take a public domain item, alter it, and then sell it under a different arrangement, but the public domain version you started with is not affected, no matter what fantasies you want to believe in. I suggest you go hire an attorney who has some copyright law experience, and no interest in your company, so that you get some rational idea of what you're doing. If you believe you can extort money from current users of PCroute, or anyone given a copy of the version prior to your agreement with Northwest, you're crazy. >To register for info on enhancements, support and licensing contact : >LANport Inc. Or, better yet, let's all just do business elsewhere.... -- Gary Heston System Mismanager and technoflunky uunet!sci34hub!gary or My opinions, not theirs. SCI Systems, Inc. gary@sci34hub.sci.com I support drug testing. I believe every public official should be given a shot of sodium pentathol and ask "Which laws have you broken this week?".
emv@ox.com (Ed Vielmetti) (04/13/91)
>To register for info on enhancements, support and licensing contact : >LANport Inc. Or, better yet, let's all just do business elsewhere.... Let's not be so quick here. I for one am very glad that a company has decided to take a promising but unpolished software product and turn it into a real, live, supported product. Hopefully they will make enough improvements and add enough value that the resulting product will be better (faster, cheaper) than the alternatives available. If you read the PCroute documents, you'll see that there were a lot of developments necessary to make this software capable of being a "real" network router that were never going to be done without some money to be thrown at the product. E.g. SNMP support, PPP, support for other Ethernet cards, T1 cards, 56Kb cards, X.25, frame relay....things which would be very nice to have. The head of the document reads Until now a IP router for under $5000 was just about impossible to get. Recent developments in PC hardware, however, has made it possible to convert a PC to an IP router for a TOTAL of $800 a unit. With any luck, LANport will also be addressing this very low cost router market as well as or better than the un-funded free efforts were doing. Even if they charged a couple hundred bucks for the software it would still let you build a good fast router on the cheap. oblan: I'm in the market for a box which will provide very cheap 56Kb sync PPP connections. Any idea when a PCroute derived system will interoperate with (e.g.) a Netblazer, a Cisco, or a 3com box? -- Msen Edward Vielmetti /|--- moderator, comp.archives emv@msen.com "With all of the attention and publicity focused on gigabit networks, not much notice has been given to small and largely unfunded research efforts which are studying innovative approaches for dealing with technical issues within the constraints of economic science." RFC 1216
amc@cup.portal.com (Alan Michael Crawley) (04/14/91)
Lanport has no intension of charging anyone anything for existing versions of PCroute. Only for enhanced versions and for enhancements to old versions. Take it easy folks...my previous postings said *MAY* need to license. This refers to versions with the copyright *1991 Lanport Inc. Pleasanton CA.*only. Hope this clarifies things. AMC
bill@platypus.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) (04/18/91)
In article <1991Apr03.003229.2215@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>, ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) writes: > sikdar@davidsys.com writes: > > > >I am looking for anon FTP sources for the PCBridge and PCRoute Software. > > Try acns.nwu.edu 129.105.49.1 (it *is* PD). The following is extracted from bridge.asm it appears in all of the source files for both PCBridge and PCRoute. I would hardly consider this to mean "PD". ;;**************************************************************************** ;; ;; Copyright (C) 1989 Northwestern University, Vance Morrison ;; ;; ;; Permission to view, compile, and modify for LOCAL (intra-organization) ;; USE ONLY is hereby granted, provided that this copyright and permission ;; notice appear on all copies. Any other use by permission only. ;; ;; Northwestern University makes no representations about the suitability ;; of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without expressed ;; or implied warranty. See the copywrite notice file for complete details. ;; -- Bill Gunshannon | If this statement wasn't here, bill@platypus.uofs.edu | This space would be left intentionally blank bill@tuatara.uofs.edu | #include <std.disclaimer.h>
ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) (04/18/91)
bill@platypus.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) writes: >In article <1991Apr03.003229.2215@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>, ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) writes: >> sikdar@davidsys.com writes: >> > >> >I am looking for anon FTP sources for the PCBridge and PCRoute Software. >> >> Try acns.nwu.edu 129.105.49.1 (it *is* PD). > >The following is extracted from bridge.asm it appears in all of the >source files for both PCBridge and PCRoute. I would hardly consider this >to mean "PD". > [new strict caveats imposed by Vance omitted] > First, I replied to sikdar@davidsys.com *before* I became aware of the changed rules re. distribution. I just pulled an ftp site from a file I have been keeping since 1989. Sorry for the confusion. Just trying to be helpful. By the way, the address seems to be accuvax.nwu.edu these days. Second, I don't see how you can complain. This is as close to PD as one gets. They are not asking you for money - just to obey certain restrictions which are common in other PD packages. If you'd rather shell out $10,000 for an E-net bridge, that's your privilege. I, for one, am grateful to V.M. for what he cooked up. Moreover, I somehow can't blame him for going commercial - if you have a good product, you usually *sell* it. I will refrain from quoting the gift horse bit. Regards - E. >-- > Bill Gunshannon | If this statement wasn't here, > bill@platypus.uofs.edu | This space would be left intentionally blank > bill@tuatara.uofs.edu | #include <std.disclaimer.h> -- Eric Behr, Illinois State University, Mathematics Department Internet: ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu Bitnet: ebehr@ilstu
mah@dec1.wu-wien.ac.at (Michael Haberler) (04/19/91)
In article <1991Apr18.031517.13245@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>, ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) writes: |> bill@platypus.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) writes: |> for an E-net bridge, that's your privilege. I, for one, am grateful to V.M. |> for what he cooked up. Moreover, I somehow can't blame him for going |> commercial - if you have a good product, you usually *sell* it. I will |> refrain from quoting the gift horse bit. Regards - E. As a user of PCroute, I thought similar, but asked Vance Morrison. NWU sold the rights to LANport and Vance only learnt about it after the fact. - michael