Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!wanginst!ucadmus!harvard!seismo!topaz!pleasant From: pleasant@topaz.ARPA (Mel Pleasant) Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: AT&T and Unix - The real issue Message-ID: <294@topaz.ARPA> Date: Thu, 17-Jan-85 00:47:17 EST Article-I.D.: topaz.294 Posted: Thu Jan 17 00:47:17 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 19-Jan-85 00:49:07 EST References: <7366@brl-tgr.ARPA> Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 30 > Would anybody care to comment on the REAL issue here, or do you all think > that small users are left out in the cold, but derserve it because they > cant afford a $40k source license? I think you are missing the point. But since you insist, I'll address your issue first. Many many older corporations have software which might fare better if prices on the software were lowered drastically. This is mostly due to more powerful and cheaper personal computers. Their inability or lack of desire to reduce their prices is a perogative that they hold. With the way things stand now, YOU ARE LEGALLY OUT IN THE COLD. Until someone legally challenges AT&T, they own the software and can charge whatever their little hearts desire. If they want to continue in the path that they have chosen, only time will tell us if they've taken the proper path. With the advent of GNU, we are given an inkling that AT&T will only hurt itself in the long run - but we'll have to wait and see!!! Issue two - You do not have some basic right that allows you to rip off someone else's software just because you happen to like it. Whether they can continue to sell it or not doesn't really come into play. If you want to claim that AT&T is wronging you in some way - then fine. But your stealing their software is also wrong. I don't know about you but I was taught that two wrongs don't make a right. If you rip off a copy of the software YOU ARE A THIEF. *EVEN* if AT&T is commiting a wrong it still makes you no less a thief. So, while you are asking everyone to consider your point of view, YOU should consider the other issue being expressed here. In other words - THERE IS *MORE* THAN ONE REAL ISSUE HERE -Mel Pleasant ...seismo!topaz!pleasant