bb@wjh12.UUCP (byer) (12/10/84)
Pat Iurilli (pat@pyuxqq) wants us all to know that: > A company in Boston sells a software package called the 'pc toolbox', > which includes 53 UNIX utilities that were rewritten to run under pc-dos. > It costs $200.00. [ Company name is Arts Computer Products] > These include: (a short description has been included for the novice) (... here was a list of many of the V6 utilities) >>> ONE MAJOR QUESTION <<< ==> Is there a statute of limitations on AT&T licenses? My reasons for asking: I have had some contact with this company and I know that they have a Version 6 Unix source license. Notice the word `rewritten' in the second line of the original submission. Upon referring to the original article, you will note that NO post-V6 software derivatives are included in the list. (i.e., no make, awk, etc. [ who wrote `etc' anyway?]) My past experience with this company leads me to doubt their ethics. The CONCLUSION ... is left as an exercise for the reader. Respectfully, ( respect for original authorship ) Brent Byer (decvax!genrad!wjh12!bb)
pat@pyuxqq.UUCP (Pat M. Iurilli) (12/14/84)
In response to Brent Byer:
This company that I mentioned contracted out with another firm to implement
these tools for them. You will notice the striking resemblence to the
Software Tools User Group distribution, which is also based on Version 6.
There is no licensing conflict if some company writes a tool that has the
same user interface as another. Maybe the choice of 'rewritten' ws not
clear, but I did not by any means want to insinuate that these tools were
rewrites of the ATT source code. That indeed would be infringement.
As far as the usefulness of these tools, I know that several people in my
company have written some tools under PC-DOS simultaneously. I was just trying
to avoid potential wasted effort. It might be advantagous to spend $200
for working utilities than to spend more in development time to do it.
I know from my own experience after using the primitive PC-DOS system,
that any help would be welcome.
Just wanted to set the record straight.
Pat Iurilli Bell Communications Research Piscataway, MJ
{allegra, harpo, ihnp4}!pyuxqq!pat