Reply to: Are there still any V6 C compilers?

[utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!wedel at UTEXAS-11]

From: wedel at UTEXAS-11 (Wally Wedel)
The situation with respect to C compiler  distribution  has  been
very  confused  ever  since  the  Delaware Usenix meeting in June
1980.  At that meeting Al Arms announced that a letter was  being
sent  to  all  UNIX multiple cpu and multiple system licensees to
the effect that a given licensee could define one C compiler  has
its standard and then use that compiler on all its systems.  It's
not clear how many, if any, of those letters actually  went  out.
Our  site  for  one never received the letter although we license
every system for every UNIX version.

Many people interpreted Al's announcement to  mean  that  C  com-
pilers  could be freely interchanged among systems.  This was not
his intention and Larry Isely came to San  Francisco  to  clarify
and  re-emphasize that a V6-only licensee could NOT run a version
7 C compiler legally.

This situation is a real problem for Usenix distributions because
our  records  indicate  that  many commercial users in particular
choose to buy a V6 license rather than a V7  license  because  of
the expense.  The Usenix Board is considering writing a letter to
Western requesting that the pcc compiler for the PDP-11 be avail-
able under a separate license to try to address some of the prob-
lems you raise.  I don't know what our success rate will be given
Western's slooooooow response to anything these days.

The bottom line for now is that V6 licensees can't legally run  a
V7 compiler unless they have received the letter from Western al-
lowing them to do so on the basis of other  licenses  within  the
organization.

Sorry to be so windy on this but it's a messy issue indeed!
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