Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ncoast.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!cwruecmp!atvax!ncoast!bsa From: bsa@ncoast.UUCP (The WITNESS) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: (Almost-Public)-Domain PC/IX Software (actually about vi) Message-ID: <283@ncoast.UUCP> Date: Tue, 21-Aug-84 15:56:30 EDT Article-I.D.: ncoast.283 Posted: Tue Aug 21 15:56:30 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 23-Aug-84 03:52:05 EDT References: <12428@sri-arpa.UUCP> <225@imsvax.UUCP> Organization: North Coast XENIX, Cleveland Lines: 39 [Huh?] > From: rcc@imsvax.UUCP > >For VI, though its authors swear it is public domain, the > >Regents of the U of C (who paid the bills and distribute BSD > >stuff) want not to upset AT&T. AT&T claims that VI is "now" > >considered part of UNIX, and my company's license with AT&T thus > >requires that I only distribute the VI to folks who posess a valid > >source license. > > I think AT&T is full of it. Legally, I think AT&T has two claims on > vi. First, vi is based on ed, and therefore protected by trade > secrets just like a lot of 4.xBSD. This alone, though, would give AT&T > no right to say that vi is "part" of their UNIX. Second, Mark Horton, > one of the (many) original authors works for AT&T now and has been > maintaining vi. If AT&T has been paying him for this, then they probably > have a claim on the versions that he's turned out since he started at > AT&T, provided that any additional work done by others in the released > version was done by AT&T people or some sort of agreement was reached > with the other contributors. If this is the case, though, then there > do exist versions of vi that AT&T has no second claim on. > > Any opinions from netland? Mark, if you're reading this, when (if ever) > did AT&T start paying you to maintain vi? What would have to be hacked > out of/replaced in vi to make it totally public domain? And if vi is public domain (or if there exist versions later than ex2.13), how would we go about getting a later version? Our system came with 2.13 because of space limitations, but we have overcome them; I am a little sick of having to kludge ESC and ^C on my superbee (2.13 ignores xb), and would like to be able to use the "map" command mentioned for a later-version vi. --bsa -- Brandon Allbery: decvax!cwruecmp{!atvax}!ncoast!bsa: R0176@CSUOHIO.BITNET 6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, OH 44131 <> (216) 524-1416