giguere@csg.uwaterloo.ca (Eric Giguere) (06/13/91)
In article <3036@public.BTR.COM> valentin@btr.BTR.COM (Valentin Pepelea valentin@btr.com) writes: >Having the source code of these games is not a necessity to understand how to >play, but having the source code to the OS can cut down sharply on the learning >curve of how to use some functions. No, that's wrong. If you can't learn how to use the functions from the external documentation, then the documentation needs to be improved. If anything, looking at the source code can be dangerous because you'll start relying on internal functions and undocumented behaviour. >Quite a few companies provide the OS sources to their custommers; Commodore >would not be an exception. Any real-time OS for embedded systems is supplied >in source code form, including Vrtx, pSOS, OS/9, and others. Ever wondered >how come these companies are not afraid of having their work plagiarized? >The answer is quite simple, copyrights. Embedded systems are a special case. The buyers of these OSes are actually repackaging them in ROM as part of another product. The the end-user the OS isn't even supposed to be visible. Embedded system developers may also need the source to be able to adapt the OS to their special hardware requirements. The copyright symbol does not prevent the theft of software. It acts as a deterrent to a lot of people, and provides the owner of the software with legal recourse should said software be pirated, but it won't stop the pirating on its own. In effect you'd like Commodore do be another FSF and distribute its software for free. I would rather see Commodore make money off its software development so it can keep making Amigas and keeping the rest of us happy. -- Eric Giguere giguere@csg.UWaterloo.CA Unlike the cleaning lady, I have to do Windows.