From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!C70:info-cpm Newsgroups: fa.info-cpm Title: Hacking up public domain software Article-I.D.: ucb.1738 Posted: Tue Aug 10 20:25:37 1982 Received: Fri Aug 13 02:18:05 1982 >From ucivax!csuf!bytebug@Ucb-C70 Tue Aug 10 20:25:11 1982 Yes, things do get fuzzy! Let me expand my earlier comments. I agree with you that Ron Cain's generosity has benefited the mi- cro community greatly. By putting software of that magnitude into the public domain, he got the ball rolling. We all came out ahead because he was willing to share. Dialogue continues in DR DOBBS JOURNAL, where Small-C was published, as to improvements that can be made. People are working with Ron's software, and in dblished, as to improvements that can be made. People are working with Ron's software, and in doing so, are learning, and are willing to share with others the things that they learn. And one person's contribution may motivate someone else. I think that's the idea behind putting something into the public domain. If that's not what happens - if the software is ripped off and sold - how likely is it that that programmer is ever going to put anything else into the pub- lic domain? I guess the best way to tell if you're ripping someone off is put yourself into the other guy's shoes, and see what you would think if someone was making money off of your software. In your case, where you say your compiler is radically different, I wouldn't think you were ripping anyone off. (I would, however, give Ron credit in your User's Manual a