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events:free_licenses [2016/01/04 14:07] – [Finally: BSD-Style Unix Source Licenses] wktevents:free_licenses [2023/02/16 08:00] (current) – minnie -> www admin
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 **by Warren Toomey** **by Warren Toomey**
  
-By the 1990s, Unix was no longer available through Bell Labs; it was sold as a commercial product either by AT&T or the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_System_Laboratories|Unix System Laboratories]]. All fine and good, except that I, like other people, were interested in the early versions of Unix and there was no legitimate way that we could obtain licenses for them. An [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/pipermail/tuhs/1995-October/000000.html|e-mail dated October 1995]] shows that I'd asked Dennis Ritchie about getting licenses. His reply, in part, said:+By the 1990s, Unix was no longer available through Bell Labs; it was sold as a commercial product either by AT&T or the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_System_Laboratories|Unix System Laboratories]]. All fine and good, except that I, like other people, were interested in the early versions of Unix and there was no legitimate way that we could obtain licenses for them. An [[http://www.tuhs.org/pipermail/tuhs/1995-October/000000.html|e-mail dated October 1995]] shows that I'd asked Dennis Ritchie about getting licenses. His reply, in part, said:
  
 > AT&T doesn't think it has the right to issue new licenses for any Unix editions, and won't do so. Several years ago, the Unix IP was transferred to Unix Systems Laboratories, at first as a mostly-owned subsidiary; USL was then sold to Novell, and recently Novell agreed to sell its Unix business to SCO (and HP is partially involved). As of the end of October 1995 this last sale had not been consummated. > AT&T doesn't think it has the right to issue new licenses for any Unix editions, and won't do so. Several years ago, the Unix IP was transferred to Unix Systems Laboratories, at first as a mostly-owned subsidiary; USL was then sold to Novell, and recently Novell agreed to sell its Unix business to SCO (and HP is partially involved). As of the end of October 1995 this last sale had not been consummated.
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 ===== Surveying the Interested Parties ===== ===== Surveying the Interested Parties =====
  
-I continued agitating for early Unix source licenses by setting up a [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/pdpquiz_sum.html|PDP-11 Source License Questionnaire]] which ran from November 1996 through to mid-1997. I thought that this would help inform SCO on the level of interest in source licenses. I e-mailed the link to Mike Tilson who had helped with the Lion's commentary. He [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9611250922.aa14005@novasco.sco.com|wrote back]] (e-mail dated November 1996):+I continued agitating for early Unix source licenses by setting up a [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/pdpquiz_sum.html|PDP-11 Source License Questionnaire]] which ran from November 1996 through to mid-1997. I thought that this would help inform SCO on the level of interest in source licenses. I e-mailed the link to Mike Tilson who had helped with the Lion's commentary. He [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9611250922.aa14005@novasco.sco.com|wrote back]] (e-mail dated November 1996):
  
 > I personally think this would be a nice thing to do. As I explained in earlier e-mail, I think there are a number of issues that would require considerably more thought than the effort that went into releasing the Lions book, as this deals with a core of UNIX that is still of value even today (I guess the original authors did a pretty good job!) ... > I personally think this would be a nice thing to do. As I explained in earlier e-mail, I think there are a number of issues that would require considerably more thought than the effort that went into releasing the Lions book, as this deals with a core of UNIX that is still of value even today (I guess the original authors did a pretty good job!) ...
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 > You may be interested to learn that SCO has licensed PDP-11 UNIX binary distributions for personal non-commercial education purposes, for Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Edition versions of UNIX for the PDP-11. While this is not source code, it certainly seems of interest to PUPS members. Hope this helps. > You may be interested to learn that SCO has licensed PDP-11 UNIX binary distributions for personal non-commercial education purposes, for Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Edition versions of UNIX for the PDP-11. While this is not source code, it certainly seems of interest to PUPS members. Hope this helps.
  
-This had been part of the release of version 2.2d of Bob Subnik's [[https://github.com/simh/simh|SIMH simulator]]: with the [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/Licenses/v7_bin_license.txt|binary license]] Bob was able to distribute "UNIX V5, V6, and V7 for the PDP-11" as demonstration software with SIMH. It was a step in the right direction, but only a small step.+This had been part of the release of version 2.2d of Bob Subnik's [[https://github.com/simh/simh|SIMH simulator]]: with the [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/Licenses/v7_bin_license.txt|binary license]] Bob was able to distribute "UNIX V5, V6, and V7 for the PDP-11" as demonstration software with SIMH. It was a step in the right direction, but only a small step.
  
 ===== Petitioning SCO for Source Licenses ===== ===== Petitioning SCO for Source Licenses =====
  
-In July 1997, I decided to become more active and get as many people as I could find to [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/pstatus.html|petition SCO]] for early Unix source code licenses by setting up an [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/petition.html|on-line petition]]. I told Dion ([[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9707011125.aa20765@tahoe.pdev.sco.com|e-mail]] dated July 1997):+In July 1997, I decided to become more active and get as many people as I could find to [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/pstatus.html|petition SCO]] for early Unix source code licenses by setting up an [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/petition.html|on-line petition]]. I told Dion ([[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9707011125.aa20765@tahoe.pdev.sco.com|e-mail]] dated July 1997):
  
-> I thought I should let you know that I'm organising a [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/petition.html|formal petition]] to SCO about PDP-11 UNIX source code licenses, rather than perpetually hassling you about it. Your comments on it are very much appreciated. We really want to work with SCO on this & appreciate SCO's efforts to date with the Lions Book and the binary licenses to 5th, 6th and 7th Edition.+> I thought I should let you know that I'm organising a [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/petition.html|formal petition]] to SCO about PDP-11 UNIX source code licenses, rather than perpetually hassling you about it. Your comments on it are very much appreciated. We really want to work with SCO on this & appreciate SCO's efforts to date with the Lions Book and the binary licenses to 5th, 6th and 7th Edition.
  
 > At a later date, when the petition's "fully signed", we will make a formal presentation of the petition to SCO. > At a later date, when the petition's "fully signed", we will make a formal presentation of the petition to SCO.
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 Dion [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9707011125.aa20765@tahoe.pdev.sco.com|wrote back]] (e-mail July 1997): "An excellent idea! Thanks for letting me know. I will certainly be your advocate on this." Dion [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9707011125.aa20765@tahoe.pdev.sco.com|wrote back]] (e-mail July 1997): "An excellent idea! Thanks for letting me know. I will certainly be your advocate on this."
  
-It didn't take long for the electronic signatures to fill up on the petition; by the end of July the petition had over [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/pstatus.html|300 signatures]] on it. Even before then, I'd [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#199707090600.QAA02872@henry.cs.adfa.oz.au|sent the petition in]] to some of the VPs in SCO for their consideration. Dion wrote back: "That's great about the signatures.+It didn't take long for the electronic signatures to fill up on the petition; by the end of July the petition had over [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/pstatus.html|300 signatures]] on it. Even before then, I'd [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#199707090600.QAA02872@henry.cs.adfa.oz.au|sent the petition in]] to some of the VPs in SCO for their consideration. Dion wrote back: "That's great about the signatures.
 Yes, I perused the earlier list and it's really amazing that we have such famous support for this.  I am sure it will be a great PR victory when we finally get this arranged." ([[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9707231217.aa06768@tahoe.pdev.sco.com|e-mail]] dated 23rd July 1997). Yes, I perused the earlier list and it's really amazing that we have such famous support for this.  I am sure it will be a great PR victory when we finally get this arranged." ([[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#9707231217.aa06768@tahoe.pdev.sco.com|e-mail]] dated 23rd July 1997).
  
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 ===== Then: Free Unix Source Licenses ===== ===== Then: Free Unix Source Licenses =====
  
-On the [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/oldnews.html|13th of May, 2000]], SCO changed the price of their early Unix source licenses to $0, i.e. free. I don't seem to have an e-mail trail that describes the motivation behind this; however, by this time Dion had passed the early Unix reins over to David Eyes at SCO ([[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#2.2.32.19981123234323.009a45c0@mammoth.sco.com|e-mail]] dated November 1998).+On the [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/oldnews.html|13th of May, 2000]], SCO changed the price of their early Unix source licenses to $0, i.e. free. I don't seem to have an e-mail trail that describes the motivation behind this; however, by this time Dion had passed the early Unix reins over to David Eyes at SCO ([[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Emails/dionj_wkt.html#2.2.32.19981123234323.009a45c0@mammoth.sco.com|e-mail]] dated November 1998).
  
-SCO now provided a [[https://web.archive.org/web/20000815225122/http://www.sco.com/offers/ancient.html|click-through page]] on their website where one could obtain the source license, and SCO still notified me of the new license holders. However, the click-through page (once clicked), gave the new license holder [[http://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/pupsfaq.html|a link to the Unix Archive]].+SCO now provided a [[https://web.archive.org/web/20000815225122/http://www.sco.com/offers/ancient.html|click-through page]] on their website where one could obtain the source license, and SCO still notified me of the new license holders. However, the click-through page (once clicked), gave the new license holder [[http://www.tuhs.org/PUPS/pupsfaq.html|a link to the Unix Archive]].
  
 By March 2001, over 1,800 people had either bough the US$100 Unix source license or had obtained the free Unix source license (e-mail to David Eyes). At this stage, SCO were in the process of selling the Unix business over to Caldera. I had asked David: "What's happening with Caldera and the transfer of this IP, and is there anybody there that I can contact yet?" (//ibid.//). David wrote back: "The transaction still hasn't closed.  I believe that the public word is that it will likely close in April.  There was a last-minute renegotiation regarding the rights to OpenServer, which Caldera will now own completely as well." (//ibid.//) By March 2001, over 1,800 people had either bough the US$100 Unix source license or had obtained the free Unix source license (e-mail to David Eyes). At this stage, SCO were in the process of selling the Unix business over to Caldera. I had asked David: "What's happening with Caldera and the transfer of this IP, and is there anybody there that I can contact yet?" (//ibid.//). David wrote back: "The transaction still hasn't closed.  I believe that the public word is that it will likely close in April.  There was a last-minute renegotiation regarding the rights to OpenServer, which Caldera will now own completely as well." (//ibid.//)
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 Wow! We had gone from no licenses to binary-only licenses, to paid then free licenses, and now BSD-style licenses. I could finally make the [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/|Unix Archive]] available by anonymous FTP and through the web. Wow! We had gone from no licenses to binary-only licenses, to paid then free licenses, and now BSD-style licenses. I could finally make the [[http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/|Unix Archive]] available by anonymous FTP and through the web.
- 
-===== Postscript: Uncertainty ===== 
- 
-The history from this point turns somewhat sour, as Caldera became the SCO Group (TSG, aka "New SCO") and began [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCO_Group,_Inc._v._International_Business_Machines_Corp.|litigating against IBM]] over copyright violations. 
  
 //(incomplete, more to come!)// //(incomplete, more to come!)//
  
events/free_licenses.1451876854.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/01/04 14:07 by wkt