[Coco] NitrOS9 Sources

[Bill Gunshannon]

> On Mon, Mar 11, 2013 at 9:38 AM, Bill Gunshannon
> <billg999 at cs.uofs.edu>wrote:
>
>>
>> <cut>
>
> And the second....  Everything is in assembler.  Is this also
>> deliberate?  Is it for maximum efficiency?  Is it philosophical?
>> Is it political? :-) Has any thought ever been given to re-writting
>> some/most/all of it in a higher level language (like C :-) and
>> making it portable to other platforms, much like what MicroWare
>> did when they developed OS9000?
>>
> Bill, one of the things you have to look at is that OS-9 L1 & L2 was
> always
> assembler for memory reasons.
>
> As far as converting it to C to be portable to other systems would not fly
> as Microware already has C source for the OS-9 that runs in OS9000 and
> other platforms.

If I am not mistaken, OS9000 was a complete re-write of the OS9
paradigm and not jut a translation of the original code.  There
was OS9-68K in between and I believe it was also completely or
mostly in 68K assembler as well.

>                  So if we were to make a C version of OS-9 and release it
> would cause problems legally with it.  So no one really wants to risk
> going
> to jail over rewriting OS-9 into C to be cross system.

There seems to be some confusion here.  If you dis-assembled MicroWare's
OS9 and then cleaned up the listings to make NitrOS9 then you are most
definitely in violation of their Copyrights.  If I, having ever seen
any of the OS9 sources (which may be in danger now if NitrOS9 is really
nothing but real OS9 with a paperbag over its face) and I write something
that does the same job but is written in C then I have not violated the
OS9 IP.  Thus the concept of a "clean room" port.

>
> Only option at this point is if you do want OS-9 on another platform is
> contact Microware for a version for the hardware system you are looking
> for. *shrug*

Isn't MicroWare gone?  And, in any event I am fairly certain they are
not interested in moving to any paltform I would be looking at.

>
> Otherwise most of us who don't want to seek trouble will touch the idea of
> porting OS-9 to C.

You really need to take another look your understanding of IP and
Copyright.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>