[Info-vax] Licenses on VAX/VMS 4.0/4.1 source code listing scans

[chris]

On 12/10/21 16:09, Robert A. Brooks wrote:
> On 12/10/2021 10:46 AM, chris wrote:
>
>> The other point is, do the original owners really care enough, or
>> even at all, when so much licensed software is out there and is
>> obsolete and no longer sold ?.
>
> The answer to that question is not relevant as a point of law.
>
>> Ethical dilemmas everywhere in life and we all have to make our
>> own choices...
> There is no "ethical dilemma" here. The ownership is not in question,
> nor is there any "life-or-death" situation at hand.
>
> You can ignore that, but that's not an ethical dilemma.
>

Well it is if you normally do the right thing, but have to
make a choice as to continue usage where there is no legal
process to allow it.

In all the early Sun machines, the os license came with the machine
to use indefinately. That no doubt contributed to their success and
the company had the right ethos and sense of fair play.

Onerous licensing terms always cause problems in the end and DEC
always were primarily about the money, irrespective of how good
the systems were. All relationships in life depend on trust and
no one likes being screwed to the floor over licensing...

Chris