On Thu, 22 Jun 2000, Bill Bradford wrote:
> Since when is/was RT-11 freeware? One of the hardest things about collecting
> PDP-11s is getting OS licenses for anything but the older versions of
> UNIX...
Well, as long as the machine comes with a complete version of the
software installed, then there's no problem. The whole licensing
issue is pure lunacy. Someone initially paid a vast quantity of money
to Some Random Computer Manufacturer for the machine, then, got
charged another large sum of money for the software - the OS - needed
to use the machine. Both were products that have already been paid
for. Let's say you bought one of those newfangled automobiles that's
infested with lots of electronic circuitry, including computers with
firmware. Now, let's say you sell the car. If that firmware was
licensed like computer software, the person who bought the car from
you wouldn't be able to use it without being bilked out of a licencing
fee from the auto's manufacturer. What if books were treated like
software? This is just a way of extorting money from people; it
amounts to no more than legalized theft.
--
R. D. Davis
rdd_at_perqlogic.com
http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd
410-744-4900
Received on Thu Jun 22 2000 - 13:38:12 BST