Date   : Mon, 30 Jan 1995 20:58:50 +0000 (GMT)
From   : Mark Cooke <ee2015@...>
Subject: Re : Roms and (C)

Hi Chris,

> For those of you who weren't on the list from the start, we've actually 
> had a similar discussion to this before but nobody decided to release any 
> code. Check out the newly-formed archives, maybe. Or are they the ones I 
> haven't sent Mark yet? Oops...

:-)  yep.  They predate the ones I've archived - but I was about and just
about remember the discussion we had.

> > > This would not encrypt the files, but make them unavailable for general
> > > access.  Possibly skirting on illegal though.
> > 
> > Aha! But PKZIP does allow for file encryption with a password. So it
could be 
> > done.
> 
> I don't really think this is the point. The thing is, say we were all 
> writing a program which read AutoCad version 1 files. I mean, AutoCad 1 
> was superceded donkey's years ago and the chances are a lot of us would 
> have it already but there is no way you could release the program. It is 
> still protected by (C), like the BBC ROMs.
> 
I agree.  That's the reason I would put them in a protected directory,
which only people with beebs could access.  I know it's still not a great
solution, but sure beats making them world readable.  BTW What do you do if
your beeb bit the dust and you want to run your emulator?  Ask Acorn nicely
if they wouldn't mind sending you a copy of the roms?

> This is a personal view and I don't know the detailed ins and outs of 
> copyright, so I could well be wrong. However, it looks pretty sound to 
> me; BBC ROMs = (C) = no (C)ing.

Again yes, except people owning a beeb can use the roms.  Before I get
excessively worked up again, I should suggest that I have had some
feedback from Acorn and that we should wait and see what happens with this
latest request for them to release the roms into the public domain.

I suppose, worst case, people could find someone who has a copy of !65Host
on their arc, and nick the roms from that.  I could probably write a
program to fix the differences between the !65host and the original roms.
(!65Host modifies the codes to break out to native arm code so it runs a
bit quicker).

On a more serious note :

William (the nice man from Acorn) suggested that we should elect a
chairman for the group to put our case to the appropriate authority in
Acorn.  William is currently trying to locate that authority for us (as is
a friend who has a friend in customer services).

I don't mind doing this, but maybe it would sound better if one of the
gang who has released code/source were nominated.  We should try to get
our case together - number of people writing code, expected release as
pd/shareware/commercial, platform etc, just to show Acorn how big a user base
is involved.

I don't actually know what would be involved in Acorn releasing the images
as public domain, presumably they could just declare the images are free
for distribution, so long as they are kept in their original form.

Mark

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