Message-ID: <1259@utah-gr.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Dec-84 17:29:01 EST
Article-I.D.: utah-gr.1259
Posted: Sun Dec  2 17:29:01 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Dec-84 00:55:04 EST
Organization: Univ of Utah CS Dept
Lines: 27

Is it legal to copy the Mac ROM data onto a diskette?  If so, perhaps a
'leach' technique could be used by a mac-compatible machine.

First, the buyer of the mac-compatible could be provided with a program
which would save the ROM routines (all 64K) on the provided disk.  This would
be a one-time operation for the customer.

Second, a mac-emulator program could then be run on the mac-compatible which
would load the ROM routines into a 'special' section of RAM that could sub-
sequently be write-protected (virtual ROM, if you will).  One might think of
the emulator disk as a 'MacWorks' for the proposed mac-compatible machine.

Oh, yes, the Macintosh is able to access its ROM faster than its RAM.  If
equal (or superior) performance is desired, then the clock rate of the mac-
compatible could be boosted (and the 68000-10 could be used, if necessary).

Once again, my original question:  Is it legal to copy the Mac ROM data onto
a diskette?  (The data would *not* be packaged with the machine; the customer
could merely find a friend's mac to get the data from)

Also, has anyone thought about designing a replacement-board for the Mac which
would upgrade the data bus lines to 32-bits (for the 68020, of course)?

		Thanks,
				Gary L. Crum
				crum@utah-cs.arpa
				crum@utah-cs.UUCP

Message-ID: <700@amd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Dec-84 12:37:30 EST
Article-I.D.: amd.700
Posted: Thu Dec  6 12:37:30 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Dec-84 01:56:24 EST
References: <>
Reply-To: jimb@amd.UUCP (Jim Budler)
Organization: AMD Applications, Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 26
Summary: 

In article <> msc@qubix.UUCP (Mark Callow) writes:
 > References: <1964@nsc.UUCP>
 > 
 >>  The mac roms are proprietary and I'm sure that they are covered by copyright,
 >>  at least.
 >>  
 >>  chuq
 > 
 > proprietary information and copyright are mutually exclusive.
 > -- 
You must be confusing proprietary information with trade secrets. 
Proprietary means property.  That's all it means.  

Copyrighted means the right to copy an article is governed by the
laws of the United States.

You will very often find copyrighted proprietary information.

Try the source code for Unix.
-- 
 Jim Budler
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
 (408) 982-6547
 UUCPnet: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra,intelca}!amd!jimb
 Compuserve:	72415,1200
 The Source:	STW265

Message-ID: <4745@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Dec-84 19:38:10 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4745
Posted: Fri Dec  7 19:38:10 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Dec-84 19:38:10 EST
References: <700@amd.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 11

 >  You will very often find copyrighted proprietary information.
 > 
 >  Try the source code for Unix.

Not so!  Unix source code hasn't carried copyright notices for a long
time.  Why?  Because copyright implies *publication*, and is -- more or
less, roughly speaking -- incompatible with trade-secret protection,
which is how Unix innards are protected.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry

Message-ID: <1569@qubix.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Dec-84 17:46:57 EST
Article-I.D.: qubix.1569
Posted: Wed Dec  5 17:46:57 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Dec-84 04:53:33 EST
Organization: Qubix Graphic Systems, San Jose, CA
Lines: 12

References: <1964@nsc.UUCP>

 >  The mac roms are proprietary and I'm sure that they are covered by copyright,
 >  at least.
 >  
 >  chuq

proprietary information and copyright are mutually exclusive.
-- 
From the TARDIS of Mark Callow
msc@qubix.UUCP,  qubix!msc@decwrl.ARPA
...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!qubix!msc, ...{amd,ihnp4,ittvax}!qubix!msc

Message-ID: <185@harvard.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 7-Dec-84 01:30:03 EST
Article-I.D.: harvard.185
Posted: Fri Dec  7 01:30:03 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Dec-84 07:07:28 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Aiken Computation Laboratory, Harvard
Lines: 16

References: <1964@nsc.UUCP>

 >  ...got caught (the programmers initials were
 >  hidden in a documented but not obvious position-- interesting proof). The
 >  mac roms are proprietary and I'm sure that they are covered by copyright,
 >  at least. Any Mac compatible that attempts to use them without licensing
 >  the technology from apple will find themselves in deep trouble, and Apple
 >  will be more than happy to jump on them (justifiably so-- the development
 >  costs in those rams are enormous). 

An Apple employee who worked on the Mac project told us that the Mac ROM
actually has a theft protection device built in.  We couldn't get any
details, but the idea was that if you copy the Mac ROM, Apple will be able
to take your machine into court and make the ROM do something dramatic and
unexpected to demonstrate that they understand it much better than you do.
Maybe it prints out "Help! I'm Stolen!" or something like that.

Message-ID: <693@amd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 10:54:46 EST
Article-I.D.: amd.693
Posted: Tue Dec  4 10:54:46 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jan-85 01:57:17 EST
References: <>
Reply-To: jimb@amd.UUCP (Jim Budler)
Organization: AMD Applications, Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 17
Summary: 

In article <> crum@utah-gr.UUCP (Gary L Crum) writes:
 > ......
 > Once again, my original question:  Is it legal to copy the Mac ROM data onto
 > a diskette?  (The data would *not* be packaged with the machine; the customer
 > could merely find a friend's mac to get the data from)
 > 
 > 
All you have done is changed the illegal act from the manufacturer
of the clone to the individual purchasers, perhaps making it more
difficult for apple to prosecute but NOT more legal.
-- 
 Jim Budler
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
 (408) 982-6547
 UUCPnet: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra,intelca}!amd!jimb
 Compuserve:	72415,1200
 The Source:	STW265