sdyer%bbn-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (10/08/83)
From: Steve Dyer <sdyer@bbn-unix> I would appreciate it if someone at Berkeley could clarify the status of the user supplied software which comes with the 4.2BSD distribution. In our case, 4.2BSD can be used on our VAXes for TCP/IP research, but because of the incredibly restrictive Berkeley license, we are not using it on any of our other CPUs, nor can we incorporate 4.2BSD kernel or user software into our other machines. (This is not entirely a blast at UCB--clearly this comes as a result of our lawyers balking.) However, there is a significant amount of other stuff in the distribution which has been available through other means--for example, the ICON distribution and the "fixed" UUCP. At least in the case of UUCP, I have been trying to get it through these other channels, all the time fighting unsuccessfully with UUCP mail lossages. Now I have it im my lap, and I want to know: CAN I USE THIS STUFF? Does our license agreement with Berkeley, which delimited the ways in which we can use 4.2BSD material, also hold for the user supplied software? I know, some will say "that's a question for your own laywers to answer." Probably, but I think that this issue will be faced by other sites, and I'd like to know if there is a common consensus. /Steve Dyer sdyer@bbncca decvax!{wivax,genrad!wjh12}!bbncca!sdyer