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Xref: sserve comp.unix.bsd:12167 comp.bugs.4bsd:1970 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!pacbell.com!iggy.GW.Vitalink.COM!wetware!wsrcc.com!not-for-mail From: wolfgang@wsrcc.com (Wolfgang Rupprecht) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd,comp.bugs.4bsd Subject: Re: 4.4BSD Release Date: 1 Jul 1993 15:30:39 -0700 Organization: W S Rupprecht Computer Consulting, Fremont CA Lines: 31 Message-ID: <20voif$3qg@wsrcc.com> References: <20qdsj$6rt@agate.berkeley.edu> <20qq3p$ke6@wsrcc.com> <1993Jul1.034113@eklektix.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: wsrcc.com rcd@raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) writes: >How are they wimps? They've made a decision about what's the most >reasonable approach while the suit is pending. It may be that they >want to minimize the cost to the university in the (now increasingly >unlikely) event they lose the suit--and that's good strategy. It may >be that they don't see a major gain to the university in releasing >4.4-Lite sooner. From my vantage point it appears that AT&T doesn't have to actually win the court case. They can just keep matters in the courts for a few years. Look at how long the Apple look-and-feel suit has gone on. If the AT&T suit stretches out just as long, that will keep 4.4BSD out of the hands of most of us for the next 5-10 years. Will anyone even care if a 10 year old BSD4.4 is finally released? >UC Berkeley: They actually have nothing to gain by distributing >early! Actually, if this AT&T gambit works to either delay, or actually prevent Berkeley from distributing *its* work, what is to prevent other companies from trying to legally tie up other universities in areas where they compete? What if a CPU manufacturer decides that some RISC chip that a university is building may compete with them? Suppose that a crypto company decides that some algorithms that a university is using competes with their product. Once one university shows that it can be pushed around, other ethically challenged companies may be encouraged to give it a try too. -wolfgang -- Wolfgang Rupprecht <wolfgang@wsrcc.com> 39469 Gallaudet Dr., Fremont CA 94538