wegrzyn@cdx39.UUCP (01/29/87)
I just received a copy of Andy Tanenbaum's book : Operating Systems - Design and Implementation. He did a very nice job - he included everything I teach in my OS class (we build our own OS in the class very similar to Minix). After reading the book I turned to the listings in the back and read the copyright notice. The notice was interesting because it didn't jive with the statement Andy made about "small numbers of copies" can be distributed. The copyright goes (taken from the book) Copyright (C) 1987 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to private individuals and educational institutions to modify and redistribute the binary and source programs of this system to other private individuals and educational institutions for educational and research purposed. For corporate or commercial use, permission from Prentice-Hall is required. In general, such permission will be granted, subject to a few conditions. At last, a copyright notice that doesn't require religion (read that as GNU). This copyright means that it is possible to distribute this to just about anyone. That is nice.
tower@mit-eddie.UUCP (02/09/87)
In article <625@cdx39.UUCP> wegrzyn@cdx39.UUCP (Chuck Wegrzyn) writes: | | ... <text from book review deleted> | |The copyright goes (taken from the book) | | Copyright (C) 1987 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to | private individuals and educational institutions to modify and | redistribute the binary and source programs of this system to other | private individuals and educational institutions for educational and | research purposed. For corporate or commercial use, permission from | Prentice-Hall is required. In general, such permission will be granted, | subject to a few conditions. | |At last, a copyright notice that doesn't require religion (read that as GNU). |This copyright means that it is possible to distribute this to just about |anyone. That is nice. Note that the above copyright notice lets you use Minix in ways which are a strictly proper subset of the ways in which the GNU copylefts let you use GNU. That is, anything one is allowed to do with Minix software, one is also allowed to do with GNU software. Of course, one is allowed to do considerably more with GNU software ... Also, nobody has the slightest obligation to agree with RMS's ethical principles in order to use or distribute GNU software, even though the hope that people will take them up is part of what motivates the project. Further information on GNU is available from internet address: gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu -- Len Tower, Project GNU of the Free Software Foundation 1000 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA +1 (617) 876-3296 HOME: 36 Porter Street, Somerville, MA 02143, USA +1 (617) 623-7739 UUCP: {}!mit-eddie!mit-prep!tower INTERNET: tower@prep.ai.mit.edu
ron@unirot.UUCP (02/10/87)
Len, Guess again. The MINIX copyright/license is not a subset of the GNU one. Note the lack of any obligation of the copier to provide source code to the recipient "at any time in the future." The obligation to distribute GNU as specified in the license is the major reason most people shy away from doing anything with the code. While we are generally willing to use GNU and give away the products, the liability to play software clearing house forever as a result is quite a burden. In addition, note that the license on MINIX is open ended, the terms for commercial use aren't specified and more than likely will not be the same as those in GNU.
tower@mit-eddie.UUCP (02/21/87)
In article <336@unirot.UUCP> ron@unirot.UUCP (Ron Natalie) writes: > Len, > > Guess again. The MINIX copyright/license is not a subset of the > GNU one. Note the lack of any obligation of the copier to provide > source code to the recipient "at any time in the future." > The obligation to distribute GNU as specified in the > license is the major reason most people shy away from doing anything > with the code. While we are generally willing to use GNU and give > away the products, the liability to play software clearing house > forever as a result is quite a burden. > > ... Ron: The Gnu Public License provides a distributor of GNU based software with several options for fulfilling the obligation to make full source code available. The first option is to distribute full source code immediately with each software distribution. Use of this option fulfills entirely, for all time, one's obligation under the license to distribute source code for that software distribution. If a distributor uses this option alone, he has no liability to play software clearing house forever. Copies of the license are available from: <gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu> aka ..!mit-eddie!mit-prep!gnu -- Len Tower, Project GNU of the Free Software Foundation 1000 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA +1 (617) 876-3296 HOME: 36 Porter Street, Somerville, MA 02143, USA +1 (617) 623-7739 UUCP: {}!mit-eddie!mit-prep!tower INTERNET: tower@prep.ai.mit.edu