*BSD News Article 64537


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Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium
Date: 29 Mar 1996 08:24:56 GMT
Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Lines: 57
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References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <4j3muv$34m@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> <4j3v64$1rq@virtech.aib.com>
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On 24 Mar 1996 12:01:56 -0500, David E. Wexelblat <dwex@aib.com> wrote:
>In article <4j3muv$34m@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>,
>Marat Fayzullin <fms@wam.umd.edu> wrote:
>>Peter F. McDermott (pmcdermo@cs.utexas.edu) wrote:
>>: Unix/Linux drivers & support for all our boards are available from X-Inside
>>: at 303-384-9999. We have a closed architecture chip set. We have the fastest
>>: board on the market. The reason for this is our chip set. We did not create

>>>Take the existing drivers. Disassemble. Take a look. If they do not
>>>care about you, why should you care about their stinking industrial
>>>secrets?

>>>Marat
>>
>1) It's illegal.
>2) You will make no friends in the XFree86[TM] community by doing so.  We
>   will do all in our power to stop you.
>
>This same brain-dead logic could be applied to counterfieting - the US
>treasury wants to be the only one able to make $100 bills, so screw them,
>just make your own on a color copier.
>
>Idiots like you are what gives free software a bad name.

>--
>David Wexelblat             (703) 787-7700                     dwex@aib.com
>PLATINUM technology, inc    (703) 787-7720 (fax)    http://www.platinum.com
>AIB Software Lab            1145 Herndon Parkway         Herndon, VA  22070


	I agree that the person suggesting the disassembly lacks a certain amount of tact,
	but you try to rebutt this with erroneous statements. 
	
			If you own software, it's yours to disassemble. It's not yours to
			disassemble and give away the results of the disassembly. This is
			not quite the same as copying $100 bills. Further, so long as you
			don't publish code outright, nothing prevents you from discussing
			how one might go about writing code. After all, I can still write
			a sonnet so long as I don't write one someone else has copyrighted.
			I can even discuss sonnets using various copyrighted ones as examples
			of the form without violating any laws. Just because you cannot
			provide the code in the context of a finished product that is
			functionally identical to the original doesn't mean you can't find
			out how it works and explain it. If companies were more willing to
			help out their customers rather than try to make sure that nobody
			benefits until they get their cut, these acrimonius and pointless
			wastes of diskspace would be reduced and the companies themselves
			would benefit financially. Diamond didn't lose me as a customer
			because they were helpful and made a crappy product. They lost me
			because they are whatever the antithesis of helpful would be, and
			as a result, if my card was the best card in the world, I would
			have no way of knowing. No one that takes my advice will ever find
			out if Diamond (and now Matrox) make a decent product either.

					semon@comp.tamu.edu