tim@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Maroney) (06/09/89)
Reprinted without permission from the San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, June 9, 1989, Page C1. GROUP STEALS APPLE'S SECRET SOFTWARE CODE By Don Clark Chronicle Staff Writer A band of self-styled idealists is trying to give away Apple Computer Inc.'s crown jewels -- secret software that could be used to copy the Macintosh computer. The Cupertino-based company said yesterday that a number of people have received floppy disks in the mail containing a portion of the software "source code" for the Macintosh, purportedly from a group calling itself "the nuPrometheus League (Software Artists for Information Dissemination)." "Our objective at Apple is to distribute everything that prevents other manufacturers from creating legal copies of the Macintosh," a letter accompanying the disks states. That wording, as well as the fact that source code is guarded very tightly, suggests that the software leak started with Apple employees. The company, which learned of the letters Tuesday, did not rule that out. "We are aggressively investigating," said Carlene LeVasseur, an Apple spokeswoman. "This is stolen property, and once an individual or individuals responsible are found, they will be prosecuted." Source code is the original instructions for software, written in a programming language that humans can read that is later converted to a form a machine can understand. Access to source code, which frequently includes comments or drawings that interpret key functions, could theoretically speed the process of making a Mac clone, industry participants said yesterday. But any overt use of it would be a crime that is easily spotted, they said. "I'm sure this is going to scare Apple," said Andy Hertsfeld, an independent programmer who helped develop the Macintosh software. "But it's just kind of a childish thing." Apple has aggressively used lawsuits to protect the operating software that gives the Macintosh its exclusive ease-of-use. That strategy has been controversial among many Macintosh devotees, some of whom believe that Apple's exclusive ownership allows it to charge outrageously high prices. The nuPrometheus League -- whose name is derived from the Greek god who stole fire and gave it to the human race -- also cites Apple management's litigiousness. "As an organization, the nuPrometheus League has no ambition beyond seeing the genius of a few Apple employees benefit the entire world, not just dissipated by Apple Corporate through litigation and ill-will," the letter states. Some observers said the incident could reflect internal dissension at a company once known for its counter-cultural ethos. "I would treat this as another sign that the age of Camelot has ended at Apple," said Paul Saffo, an analyst at the Menlo Park-based Institute for the Future. The first nuPrometheus disk, the letter states, included source code for Apple's QuickDraw system for controlling screen displays and other functions stored in chips called ROMs (read-only memories). It promises that the group will later send other code for ROMs and entire releases of operating system software. The letter encourages those interested in receiving disks to place classified ads titled nuPrometheus in two local trade papers, MacWeek and Computer Currents. [Note from Tim: I am simply running this because I got an early copy of the Chronicle today, as I often do. I have no connection with or knowledge of this group (if in fact it is a group, not an individual), nor was I one of the recipients of this software. It would be impolitic for me to express approval or condemnation of the action, except to say that I feel the same ambivalence that I'm sure many people reading this message do. Finally, I should point out that it would be exceptionally dumb for anyone to run such a classified ad, as they would be setting themselves up for an easy conviction on charges of receiving stolen property.] -- Tim Maroney, Mac Software Consultant, sun!hoptoad!tim, tim@toad.com Postal: 424 Tehama, SF CA 94103; Phone: (415) 495-2934 "Please help support the moratorium on meaningless quotes in .signatures." -- Doug Asherman on rec.music.cd
d88-jwa@nada.kth.se (Jon W{tte) (06/12/89)
Try this: Install MacsBug 6.1
Press the NMI key
Disassemble from ROM adress 0
Log everything to the printer
Publish
WOW. You are now a nationawide hero/scapegoat. Or have I missed
something ? The disassembly from MacsBug IS really quite good
with sybolic names and all, almost better than my own source...
--
__ Jon W{tte (The dread Smiley Shark) email:h+@nada.kth.se
/ \ (+46 (0) 8 258 268)
/--- (c) 1989 Yessbox Allright Professional Products Inc. - Y.A.P.P.I.
/ -- No More --ckd@bucsb.UUCP (Christopher Davis) (06/13/89)
In article <1179@draken.nada.kth.se> d88-jwa@nada.kth.se (Jon W{tte) writes:
-
- Try this: Install MacsBug 6.1
- Press the NMI key
- Disassemble from ROM adress 0
- Log everything to the printer
- Publish
-
- WOW. You are now a nationawide hero/scapegoat. Or have I missed
- something ? The disassembly from MacsBug IS really quite good
- with sybolic names and all, almost better than my own source...
I was under the impression that the source being distributed included
comments, &c... MacsBug doesn't generate those yet, does it?
[Disclaimer: they didn't send *ME* a copy... :-]
- __ Jon W{tte (The dread Smiley Shark) email:h+@nada.kth.se
--
very long .sig with lots of contact information follows; feel free to skip.
Chris Davis, Student Consultant, Boston University. I disclaim BU, so there.
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