./etc/APPLE. No Free Software for Mac users.

[James J Dempsey]

In article <10152 at dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> earleh at eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Earle R. Horton) writes:
>Apple Computer Company has won the "honor" of having a file in the GNU
>Emacs version 18.52 distribution named after them.  (./etc/APPLE, this
>is even better than SUNBUG, which I haven't read yet.)  I include a
>copy of the file below for those who do not have access to the GNU
>Emacs files or the latest distribution of them.
>
...
>Well, that's my two cents worth.  Now, for an amusing question:
>
>     In view of the GNU boycott of Apple, will A/UX 1.1 include GNU
>     Emacs 18.52, and if so will the file ./etc/APPLE come on the A/UX
>     distribution?
>

I'm pretty sure I remember the original copying notice which came with
GNU Emacs said that anyone who distributed EMACS must distribute the
entire thing including source code.  If this were true, it would
require apple to distribute etc/APPLE.  However, I just read the 18.52
version of etc/COPYING and it seems a little more liberal.  I read it
that they could distribute a subset of the distribution as long as
they say which files they changed and supply the entire distribution
to anyone who asks for it.

I hope that this can be worked out because I *love* GNU Emacs and I
would find A/UX without GNU Emacs a lot less attractive.

I have brought up GNU Emacs 18.52 under A/UX 1.0.  Even though RMS
won't put these changes into the distribution, I'll mail the
modifications to anyone who wants them.

I think that in the long run, Apple will be hurt by using proprietary
interfaces and that when viable alternatives (NeXT's AIX interface?,
Open Look?) are available which are defacto standards and aren't
propriatary, Apple will lose business by sticking to their proprietary
interface.  Hopefully, they will see the light by then and RMS will
remove his restriction and support GNU software on Apple products.

I hope.

		--Jim Dempsey--
		BBN Communications
		jjd at bbn.com (ARPA Internet)
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