*BSD News Article 42387


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From: kaleb@x.org (Kaleb KEITHLEY)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.apps,comp.os.386bsd.development,comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd
Subject: Re: Cannons Away: Vote NO on newsgroup reformation.
Date: 10 Feb 95 23:08:11 GMT
Organization: X Consortium Inc.
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Message-ID: <kaleb.792457691@exalt>
References: <D3o5Ew.8x2@nbn.com> <kaleb.792343226@exalt> <3hebt1$1r2@park.uvsc.edu> <kaleb.792415474@fedora.x.org> <3hgnh4$ff7@mudraker.mtholyoke.edu>
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jbotz@mtholyoke.edu (Jurgen Botz) writes:

>In article <kaleb.792415474@fedora.x.org>,
>Kaleb KEITHLEY <kaleb@fedora.x.org> wrote:
>>[...]
>>0.9 are all derivative works from the Berkeley UNIX Net/2 release,
>>[...]
>>FreeBSD 2.x and NetBSD 1.x are derivative works of of Berkeley UNIX 4.4, 

>There is no such thing as "Berkeley UNIX(tm) 4.4" or "Berkeley
>UNIX(tm) Net/2". The names of the things you are trying to refer to
>are "Berkeley Software Distribution".  "Berkeley UNIX" is a
>colloquialism.

>In particular Net/2 can't be UNIX (with or without the TM) if for no
>other reason that it's not even an operating system.

>>let's have it. But in the mean time McKusick, Bach (under the AT&T
>>bannerhead no less, when AT&T still owned the UNIX trademark) and a 
>>whole raft of other recognized authorities are on the record as saying 
>>that BSD is UNIX, so until one of them tells me otherwise, I discount 
>>your assertion that *BSD is not BSD UNIX.

>It isn't for them to say, is it?  

Are you suggesting that it's for you to say? Off hand I'd say that
"they" have a lot more credibility than anyone else who's had their
say here.

>It's was for USL to say, and USL has
>given that priviledge to X/Open which says that it's UNIX(tm) if it
>conforms to Spec 1170.  BSD doesn't.  End of argument.

We've been through this before. Before there was USL, there was AT&T.
AT&T licensed UNIX to the University of California, and Berkeley's
release was and is called BSD UNIX. You can quibble over semantics and
split hairs all you want, it's still a derivative of UNIX. As far as 
Spec 1170 goes, there are lots of versions of UNIX brand OS that don't 
conform to Spec 1170 and never will. That doesn't diminish their status 
as UNIX or a UNIX derivative. BSD was UNIX long before there was a Spec 
1170, and Spec 1170 isn't going to take that away. This is a pretty
simple legal concept. Go take some law classes if you don't understand.

It's pretty simple really. comp.unix.bsd already exists. BSD is 
recognized, by all the people who really count anyway, as a variant 
or derivative of the UNIX operating system. 386BSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD 
and BSD/OS are all derivatives in turn of a version of BSD.  Just as 
clearly as you are descended from your mother's mother, these operating 
systems are derived from a version of UNIX. That's all the name of 
the newsgroup means. To say otherwise would be tantamount to denying 
that your grandmother is your grandmother.

And, as has been explained before, the Usenet cabal *won't* allow
redundant hierarchies. As long as comp.unix.bsd exists, they flat out
won't have comp.os.bsd. Telling me *I'm* wrong isn't going to change
that fact. If you want to take on moving .bsd out of comp.unix then 
be my guest. If you're suggesting that I should have done that, then
think again. Next time around, you do it. Lead, follow, or get the
hell out of the way.

All in all this argument is pretty damn stupid. This isn't the RFD,
it's the CFV, and it's over in six days. If you wanted to discuss it, 
you should have been paying attention back in December when the RFD 
was posted to news.announce.newgroups, comp.os.386bsd.announce and 
the FreeBSD-hacker and NetBSD hacker lists. Vote however you want. 
If you want to pull a Jesse Monroy and waste your vote over some
silly notion that Micro$oft owns Uunet, that's your perogative.

--

Kaleb KEITHLEY