*BSD News Article 2474


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!uunet!gatech!news.ans.net!cmcl2!panix!tls
From: tls@panix.com (Thor Lancelot Simon)
Subject: Re: AT&T sues BSDI
Message-ID: <1992Jul25.010419.17625@panix.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 01:04:19 GMT
References: <1821@adagio.UUCP> <14ojorINNlm5@disaster.Germany.EU.net> <1992Jul24.171828.11246@Warren.MENTORG.COM>
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC
Lines: 35

In article <1992Jul24.171828.11246@Warren.MENTORG.COM> tal@Warren.MENTORG.COM (Tom Limoncelli) writes:
>[ I can't resist one more post ]
>
>In <14ojorINNlm5@disaster.Germany.EU.net> bs@Germany.EU.net (Bernard Steiner) writes:
>
>>Does that mean that anyone having seen a Ford and then goes off designing
>>hir own car will be sued by Ford for the reason of having been exposed
>>to Ford cars ?
>
>There is a difference between reading the source, and using the
>program.
>
>HAS ANYONE COMPARED THE CODE THEMSELVES?  Could someone with a source
>license FTP the damn NET2 release, pass them through "indent" and then
>compare them?

I've got a source license, as well as a few disk packs with running 32V systems
on them.  I haven't the time to compare *everything* -- and I don't think it's
practical, in any case.  The kernel's just changed too much.  Compare _what_
to _what_?  I could have a look about for the same code for the same purpose,
but not throughout the whole kernel.  It's not so simple as just doing a set of
diffs.

Of course, the fact that I've seen the 32V source code seems to mean that I'm
eternally unemployable in the field of operating systems work, if AT&T wins.
It seems to me that state laws limiting the maximum length of noncompete
agreements come into play here.  Actually, since I was a minor the last time I
looked at the 32V source (or 4.3BSD, for that matter...) I suppose in my case
it's all rather academic.  There, now all BSDI need do is hire me and they've
got that clean channel for all the trade secret information... ;-)
-- 
Thor Lancelot Simon	 tls@panix.COM

"Better be careful there.  John might decide to start taking legal action
against people who refuse to buy stuff from him."  --Kevin McBride