Xref: utzoo comp.unix.wizards:12940 news.sysadmin:1702 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!m2c!ulowell!apollo!brian From: brian@apollo.COM (Brian Holt) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,news.sysadmin Subject: Re: The Internet Virus--Another issue Message-ID: <3fd31d4e.18e92@apollo.COM> Date: 22 Nov 88 21:18:00 GMT References: <1460@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu. <236@bigbroth.UUCP. <5365@medusa.cs.purdue.edu. <654@optilink.UUCP> <7715@boring.cwi.nl> <2490@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> <1988Nov19.235026.29419@utzoo.uucp> Reply-To: brian@apollo.COM (Brian Holt) Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, MA Lines: 32 In article <1988Nov19.235026.29419@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >In article <2490@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> trn@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (Tony Nardo) writes: >>I don't wish to pick on SUN alone. It would sure be nice if vendors could >>maintain a system on the network, reachable via anonymous ftp, containing >>the patched sources/objects/binaries for bugs found in their operating >>systems... > >There would be some small licensing problems with this, given that not >everybody on the network is licensed for the same stuff. >-- >Sendmail is a bug, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology >not a feature. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu Not to mention that most of the vendors are on the DARPA Internet portion of the internet, which explicitly disallows commercial use except for the support of Defense Advanced Research Projects or DoD contracts. Those that aren't directly on the DARPA section are on a connected network (such as NSFnet) which has agreed to abide by DARPA's rules. An argument could be made that providing patched sources/objects/binaries via anonymous ftp is in support of DoD contracts, but I suspect most vendors aren't willing to push that fine gray line too far. I'm not a lawyer, and I don't even play one on TV, so don't quote me on any of this. =brian -- Internet: brian@apollo.COM UUCP: {decvax,mit-erl,yale}!apollo!brian NETel: Apollo: 508-256-6600 x5694 Home: 617-332-3073 FISA: 617-964-8938 USPS: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford MA Home: 29 Trowbridge St. Newton MA (Copyright 1988 by author. All rights reserved. Free redistribution allowed.)