smart@manta.mel.dit.csiro.au (Robert Smart) (01/03/91)
I understand that Berkeley intend to make the parts of BSD which are not based on AT&T code freely redistributable. On that basis I have used code from random.c in a program I am modifying. However before I distribute it I would like to get hold of a version of random.c which is more clearly (in its internal comments) redistributable. Any help would be appreciated. Bob Smart <smart@mel.dit.csiro.au>
gsm@gsm001.uucp (Geoffrey S. Mendelson) (01/04/91)
In: <1991Jan3.050048.5153@mel.dit.csiro.au> Robert Smart >I understand that Berkeley intend to make the parts of BSD which are not >based on AT&T code freely redistributable. The original Berkeley code was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense which makes it owned by the "United States of America" which makes it public domain. The later stuff was funded by the State of California which also makes it public domain. This includes modifications to AT&T source code, but not the AT&T code itself. Therefore programs that were written at Berkeley such as BIFF, the BSD NROFF, etc. are clearly public domain even if there are no comments to that effect. I am not a laywer, this is not legal advice, only a systems programer's opinion. If you are truely concered, ask an atourney that specializes in software law. This is especially important as U.S. copyright law is VERY different than anyone else's. Since there are no copyrights in the Soviet Union, maybe you could ftp a copy from MOSCVAX. -- Geoffrey S. Mendelson (215) 242-8712 uunet!gsm001!gsm
brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) (01/04/91)
In article <1991Jan3.165855.21113@gsm001.uucp> gsm@gsm001.uucp (Geoffrey S. Mendelson) writes: > >I understand that Berkeley intend to make the parts of BSD which are not > >based on AT&T code freely redistributable. > The original Berkeley code was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense > which makes it owned by the "United States of America" which makes it > public domain. Not necessarily. > Therefore programs that were written at Berkeley such as BIFF, the BSD NROFF, > etc. are clearly public domain even if there are no comments to that effect. Not necessarily. > If you are truely concered, ask an atourney that specializes in software law. Yes. > This is especially important as U.S. copyright law is VERY different than > anyone else's. No. ---Dan
jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck) (01/04/91)
First, so there is no confusion, I have nothing to do with the CSRG, the group at Berkeley who brought you 4.3bsd. This discussion originally started when someone said. |> > >I understand that Berkeley intend to make the parts of BSD which are not |> > >based on AT&T code freely redistributable. Berkeley has already made some files in 4.3bsd freely redistributable; thanks goes to John Gilmore into prodding them to do it. Someone else wrote: |> > Therefore programs that were written at Berkeley such as BIFF, the BSD NROFF, |> > etc. are clearly public domain even if there are no comments to that effect. Probably true for biff, not true for nroff, since it contains AT&T code. It doesn't matter that Berkeley rewrote it; it's a "derivative work". The safe way to use 4.3bsd source as if it were public domain is to get the files off of uunet (ftp from uunet.uu.net) under the directory bsd-sources. Every source file in this directory is freely distributable, declared so by Berkeley. The copyright notices on the files specify the conditions. You may use any of these files without consulting an attorney. Note that the files on uunet may not correspond to complete programs; they are "as is". If you have a source license or have illegal access to a BSD tape, I strongly recommend that you do not use ANY of the files on that tape. Even if you know that the program you're using does not appear in any AT&T Unix release, you still don't know that the author didn't cut-and-paste source code from AT&T. The files on uunet are certified free. -- Joe Buck jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu {uunet,ucbvax}!galileo.berkeley.edu!jbuck
jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck) (01/04/91)
Following up my own article -- I wrote |> The safe way to use 4.3bsd source as if it were public domain is to get the |> files off of uunet (ftp from uunet.uu.net) under the directory bsd-sources. Pardon me for repeating the common misuse of "public domain". The files in question are not public domain, they have copyrights. However, the conditions are very generous, they are much like the conditions for X11 sources. -- Joe Buck jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu {uunet,ucbvax}!galileo.berkeley.edu!jbuck
wollman@emily.uvm.edu (Garrett Wollman) (01/04/91)
I might point out that the entire "freed" sources from 4.3-reno are located, in the standard source tree, at wuarchive.wustl.edu:~ftp/unix/4.3bsd-reno. Also, there are 4.3 sources available at gatekeeper.dec.com under pub/BSD, and at some locations at UCB itself. For example, the FTP user agent (upon which my hybrid 4.3 UA + GNU Readline/History FTP is based on, write me for details) is in wuarchive.wustl.edu:~ftp/unix/4.3bsd-reno/usr.bin/ftp. There's also a lot more of this kind of interesting stuff there, including much kernel code for i386, VAX, and some other architectures. Whenever I want to get a "definitive" BSD source, I look to wuarchive first. -GAWollman Garrett A. Wollman - wollman@emily.uvm.edu Disclaimer: I'm not even sure this represents *my* opinion, never mind UVM's, EMBA's, EMBA-CF's, or indeed anyone else's.
vak@relcom.kiae.su (Serge Vakulenko) (01/05/91)
In article <1991Jan3.165855.21113@gsm001.uucp> gsm@gsm001.uucp (Geoffrey S. Mendelson) writes: > >Since there are no copyrights in the Soviet Union, maybe you could >ftp a copy from MOSCVAX. Yes, yes, if MOSCVAX were really exist, and if it were connected to internet, then why not ? There are dozens of copies of 43 BSD in SU...
rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz) (01/05/91)
In <10009@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck) writes: >Berkeley has already made some files in 4.3bsd freely redistributable; thanks >goes to John Gilmore into prodding them to do it. Not to slight John, but Keith Bostic probably deserve the most credit for changing the mindset of CSRG more than anyone else. /r$ -- Please send comp.sources.unix-related mail to rsalz@uunet.uu.net. Use a domain-based address or give alternate paths, or you may lose out.