(Almost-Public)-Domain PC/IX Software (actually about vi)

[The WITNESS]

[Huh?]

> From: rcc at imsvax.UUCP

> >For VI, though its authors swear it is public domain, the
> >Regents of the U of C (who paid the bills and distribute BSD
> >stuff) want not to upset AT&T.  AT&T claims that VI is "now" 
> >considered part of UNIX, and my company's license with AT&T thus
> >requires that I only distribute the VI to folks who posess a valid
> >source license.
> 
> I think AT&T is full of it.  Legally, I think AT&T has two claims on
> vi.  First, vi is based on ed, and therefore protected by trade
> secrets just like a lot of 4.xBSD.  This alone, though, would give AT&T
> no right to say that vi is "part" of their UNIX.  Second, Mark Horton,
> one of the (many) original authors works for AT&T now and has been
> maintaining vi.  If AT&T has been paying him for this, then they probably
> have a claim on the versions that he's turned out since he started at
> AT&T, provided that any additional work done by others in the released
> version was done by AT&T people or some sort of agreement was reached
> with the other contributors.  If this is the case, though, then there 
> do exist versions of vi that AT&T has no second claim on.
> 
> Any opinions from netland?  Mark, if you're reading this, when (if ever)
> did AT&T start paying you to maintain vi?  What would have to be hacked
> out of/replaced in vi to make it totally public domain?

And if vi is public domain (or if there exist versions later than ex2.13),
how would we go about getting a later version?  Our system came with 2.13
because of space limitations, but we have overcome them; I am a little sick
of having to kludge ESC and ^C on my superbee (2.13 ignores xb), and would
like to be able to use the "map" command mentioned for a later-version vi.

--bsa
-- 
  Brandon Allbery: decvax!cwruecmp{!atvax}!ncoast!bsa: R0176 at CSUOHIO.BITNET
	 6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, OH 44131 <> (216) 524-1416

				<burble>