NYT on the Theft of Altair BASIC

From: Eric J. Korpela <korpela_at_ellie.ssl.berkeley.edu>
Date: Wed Sep 20 10:55:54 2000

> On Tue, 19 Sep 2000 tim.mann_at_compaq.com wrote:
> > The tone of that article really annoys me. The idea seems to be to blur
> > the distinction between sharing your own work (obviously laudable) and
> > sharing someone else's work without their permission (obviously unethical,
> > and folks generally knew that even in 1975). It also tries to oversimplify
>
> Wasn't there also an issue about Bill Gates & Friends having acquired
> that code they based it on unethically as well? I seem to recall
> having read something about that numerous places over a decade ago, or
> has that little bit of history been rewritten?

It's more the point is that Gates and Co. used U.S. government and Harvard
University computers to develop their BASIC. If Harvard had done what it
was well within its rights to do and claimed ownership of the code or placed
it in the public domain, rather than just giving Gates the boot, the computing
world might be a somewhat different place.

Gates's entire career has been about theft. Seeing him complain about
someone stealing from him... The hipocracy is downright funny.

> Ok, did I spoil
> the surprise for anyone about what's in store for the citizens of the
> U.S. if Al Gore is successfully maneuvered into office by the mass
> media and pharmaceutical manufacturers, etc.?

Can we cut the political fearmongering? Do you really think Mr "I got
no-cost oil leases in the middle-east cause my Daddy kicked Iraq's ass" is
that much different? Who do you think is paying W.'s bills? Honest citizens?

Eric
Received on Wed Sep 20 2000 - 10:55:54 BST