[comp.unix.aix] Why did IBM drop GNU emacs from the RS/6000 ?

golder@nwnexus.WA.COM (Warren Jones) (07/11/90)

IBM says that it stopped distributing GNU emacs with the RS/6000
because of the threat of legal action.  Does anyone out there
know who was going to sue?  Unipress?

Or was the whole concept of the FSF too strange and threatening
for IBM's corporate culture to deal with?

----------------------------------------------------------------
Warren Jones <golder@nwnexus.wa.com>      Golder Associates Inc.
(uucp: uunet!nwnexus!golder)              4104 148th Avenue NE
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mbrown@tonic.osf.org (Mark Brown) (07/11/90)

In article <334@nwnexus.WA.COM>, golder@nwnexus.WA.COM (Warren Jones) writes:
|> IBM says that it stopped distributing GNU emacs with the RS/6000
|> because of the threat of legal action.  Does anyone out there
|> know who was going to sue?  Unipress?

Yes and Yes.

|> Or was the whole concept of the FSF too strange and threatening
|> for IBM's corporate culture to deal with?
|> Warren Jones <golder@nwnexus.wa.com>      Golder Associates Inc.
Ah, the Age of the Cheap Shot is upon us.

DISCLAIMER: I don't speak for IBM. They don't make me wear ties.
Mark Brown   IBM AWD / OSF  |  "The tricky part is common usage."
The Good     mbrown@osf.org |
The Bad     uunet!osf!mbrown|       ---B.2.8.2, "POSIX Symbols",
The Ugly     (617) 621-8981 |                 POSIX 1003.1-1988

harley@cs.utexas.edu (Harley Hahn) (07/11/90)

In article <334@nwnexus.WA.COM> golder@nwnexus.WA.COM (Warren Jones) writes:
>IBM says that it stopped distributing GNU emacs with the RS/6000
>because of the threat of legal action.  Does anyone out there
>know who was going to sue?  Unipress?

BTW, if you look in the offical IBM Quick Pricer, you can see that they
were going to charge $125 for distributing EMACS.

ron@woan.austin.ibm.com (Ronald S. Woan/2100000) (07/11/90)

In article <9921@cs.utexas.edu>, harley@cs.utexas.edu (Harley Hahn) writes:
In article <334@nwnexus.WA.COM> golder@nwnexus.WA.COM (Warren Jones) writes:
>IBM says that it stopped distributing GNU emacs with the RS/6000
>because of the threat of legal action.  Does anyone out there
>know who was going to sue?  Unipress?

Yes! Didn't someone mention in one of the GNU newsgroups that Stallman
is/has rewritten all of the Gosling code now for the next release.

Harley> BTW, if you look in the offical IBM Quick Pricer, you can see that they
Harley> were going to charge $125 for distributing EMACS.

Not bad considering the overhead involved (inventory, media, tracking)
costs for an IBM distribution; check out Austin Code Works
distribution charges. Not to fear, FSF has said that they would
distribute GNU EMACS in an AIX 3.1 compatible form, and their tape
costs only $125 too last time I looked (or was it $150) and comes with
the rest of their goodies.

+-----All Views Expressed Are My Own And Are Not Necessarily Shared By------+
+------------------------------My Employer----------------------------------+
+ Ronald S. Woan  (IBM VNET)WOAN AT AUSTIN, (AUSTIN)ron@woan.austin.ibm.com +
+ outside of IBM       @cs.utexas.edu:ibmchs!auschs!woan.austin.ibm.com!ron +
+ last resort              woan@peyote.cactus.org or woan@soda.berkeley.edu +

drake@drake.almaden.ibm.com (07/12/90)

In article <9921@cs.utexas.edu> harley@cs.utexas.edu (Harley Hahn) writes:

>BTW, if you look in the offical IBM Quick Pricer, you can see that they
>were going to charge $125 for distributing EMACS.

So what?  The FSF itself charges $150.00!


Sam Drake / IBM Almaden Research Center 
Internet:  drake@ibm.com            BITNET:  DRAKE at ALMADEN
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