Subject: Re: Did Sun exploit BSDs?
To: Ram Chandar <cnn_dinu01@sancharnet.in>
From: Jason R Thorpe <thorpej@wasabisystems.com>
List: netbsd-advocacy
Date: 12/16/2002 07:32:56
On Mon, Dec 16, 2002 at 04:36:00PM +0530, Ram Chandar wrote:

 > .....
 > explaining how  UNIX began,  how Net/2 tapes  helped see the  birth of
 > 386BSD, what BSD was and how BSD was exploited by Proprietary Software
 > companies like Sun  Microsystems, how GNU was born  and the concept of
 > .....
 > 
 > Well, I know that the word "exploitation" is illegal, as use, if any,
 > is completely valid as per the BSD license.
 > 
 > But did they use any code from any (Free,Net,Open)BSDs at all?

Well, Sun's BSD-based OS existed long before any of the free BSD
projects did.  And back then, BSD wasn't "open source" in the sense
that it is today -- it required a license from AT&T, since it still
had AT&T code in it.

While they may or may not have taken code from the free BSD projects
since, we, as a community, have made a concious decision to allow that
to happen.

-- 
        -- Jason R. Thorpe <thorpej@wasabisystems.com>