[GNUz] O/S compare

[Wesley Parish]

On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 00:46, Rik Tindall wrote:
> Thanks Wesley,
>
> Wesley Parish wrote:
> >>><Dale> All you need is to retain BSD license in the end product eg OSX.
> >
> >Mach is licensed under the BSD-style license; actually closer to the
> >MIT-style:
> >/*
> > * Mach Operating System
> > * Copyright (c) 1991,1990,1989 Carnegie Mellon University
> > * All Rights Reserved.
> > *
> > * Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this software and its
> > * documentation is hereby granted, provided that both the copyright
> > * notice and this permission notice appear in all copies of the
> > * software, derivative works or modified versions, and any portions
> > * thereof, and that both notices appear in supporting documentation.
> > *
>
> Word missing?:

No - email formatting problem.
> > * CARNEGIE MELLON ALLOWS FREE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE IN ITS [current?]
> > * CONDITION.  CARNEGIE MELLON DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY OF ANY KIND FOR
> > * ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
> > *
> > * Carnegie Mellon requests users of this software to return to
> > *
> > *  Software Distribution Coordinator  or 
> > Software.Distribution@CS.CMU.EDU *  School of Computer Science
> > *  Carnegie Mellon University
> > *  Pittsburgh PA 15213-3890
> > *
> > * any improvements or extensions that they make and grant Carnegie the
> > * rights to redistribute these changes.
> > */
> >
> >Note "requests" not "demands".
>
> Ah. Compatible freedoms. Shows up GNU's difference well - 'patriarchal'
> might describe the approach, to that software breeding process, where
> the offspring are related. Not popular..
>
> >>OSX calls itself UNIX-based <http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/unix/>
> >>rather than a BSD. Should I too? (I.e. not list OSX as a BSD).
> >>
> >>If Apple ever start selling OSX, then that would create a non-free BSD,
> >>as I see it so far...
> >>(CD sets are sold for reproduction cost only, for *BSD, historically.)
> >
> >Well, SunOS used to be a non-free BSD, but then they also gave a lot back.
> >Indeed, a lot of what was called Unix(TM) was actually BSD.
>
> An 'out of circulation' BSDerivative is still a BSD? Ok, then that
> answers the OSX Q fully: as per BSD license option.

Well, Larry McVoy the (in)famous Bitkeeper, apparently could assemble a 
complete set of kernel and utility sources of the SunOS 4 in the early 
nineties that were permissible to release as is where is, under the BSD 
license.  IBM sold/distributed a Unix OS called A/OS for their POWER RS6000 
series that was essentially a rebadged 4.3BSD.  According to the old Unix 
scuttlebutt that gets published, companies used to get a Unix System V 
Release x Source License from AT&T then do all their work on 4.xBSD.
>
> ..Which means that 'BSD' describes an o/s family much more loosely than
> does 'GNU/Linux'. I'd better add a 'coherence factor' comparison. But
> then, the three o/s each have distinctive faults in that area..
>
> The sense I'm getting is that BSD & UNIX are interchangeable terms,
> and/though the latter title has long been under ownership contention.
> 'Gene dispertion' might describe how these are propagated (still
> searching for the best term there).

AT&T Unix covered the entire family up until 4BSD arrived on the scene.  Then 
everybody recognized that 4BSD was so much cleaner and faster than the 
commercial System V so everybody went with it.  Eventually System V adopted 
so much of 4.xBSD that all the U of Calif at Berkeley needed to do in 1994 
was prove that AT&T had misappropriated their copyrighted software, to leave 
USL - AT&T's Unix inheritor - with no choice but to back down.

What I'm hoping is that after this SCO farce has blown over, that Novell, 
which does appear to have the Unix System V copyrights, will release them 
under some suitable copyleft license.

Wesley Parish
>
> - Lots to consider when finding your home, amongst this chaotic field.
> Table modified; ..input most welcome.
>
> Cheers, Rik
>
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-- 
Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
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