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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!mips!mips!sdd.hp.com!nigel.msen.com!hela.iti.org!hela.iti.org!scs From: scs@iti.org (Steve Simmons) Subject: Re: AT&T vs. BSDI --> 4.3BSD-NET2 distribution requires AT&T license!!! Message-ID: <scs.712849204@hela.iti.org> Sender: usenet@iti.org (Hela USENET News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: hela.iti.org Organization: Industrial Technology Institute References: <l6nibgINNje6@neuro.usc.edu> <1992Jul21.152007.1126@news2.cis.umn.edu> <1992Jul30.174414.28488@kas.helios.mn.org> <BsA6J0.4M1@solbourne.com> Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1992 13:40:04 GMT Lines: 23 imp@solbourne.com (Warner Losh) writes: >In article <1992Jul30.174414.28488@kas.helios.mn.org> >rhealey@kas.helios.mn.org (Rob Healey) writes: >> the concepts of UID,GID,SUID,SGID, >These are covered by a patent. However, this patent was put in the >Public Domain (I use that term correctly) many years ago by Richie (I >think). I've seen pictures of the document that has the issue date, >etc on it with the words "Donated to the Public Domain on <date> ><Signature>". I don't think this is quite accurate. To my knowledge, only SUID was patented. The technology was carefully described so that it did not appear to be software in any way, shape or form -- the patent even includes a circuit drawing that supposedly implements it. For the curious, it's readily available as an appendix in Kochan and Wood's "UNIX System Security". -- "If life were fair, the acquisition of a large bosom or a massive inheritance would have no bearing on your ability to attract the opposite sex, and Dan Quayle would be making a living asking runny-nosed children, `Do you want fries with that?'" -- John Cleese