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GNU/Linux is a partial (but incomplete, since no Linux distro is unix(tm) certified) a reimplementation of proprietary Unix, and with billion-dollar companies
by curt15 9y ago
GNU/Linux is a partial (but incomplete, since no Linux distro is unix(tm) certified) a reimplementation of proprietary Unix, and with billion-dollar companies like Red Hat and IBM it's certainly a commercial endeavor at proprietary Unix's expense. It would seem to be an attractive target if a plaintiff like SCO could somehow move the case to the federal circuit (as none of the standard appeals courts have declared APIs copyrightable).
- jrs95 9y agoSeems like it’s really just an excercise in lawfare. The underlying legal “principle” is flexible.
- blattimwind 9y agoAfaik there are several certified GNU/Linux derivatives.
- jlgaddis 9y agoI'm not seeing any [0]. Care to name one? [0]: https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/ https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/
- pjmlp 9y agoThere are a few based on Red Hat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specification#Currently_Registered_UNIX_systems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specification#Curr...
- blattimwind 9y agoBoth EulerOS and Inspur K-UX are Linux.
- hcknwscommenter 9y agoReimplementation does not necessarily violate copyright. Copying does violate copyright (absent fair use). Like verbatim copying. Example, Google didn't have to use the “java.lang.Math.max(a,b)” header, but they did. They did copy because they wanted to leverage the existing Java developer base who would easily be able to develop for Android, without having to do the hard work of building their own ecosystem. Overall, Google copied the header structure for more than six-thousand methods.
- tankenmate 9y agoCopyright exists to protect artistic expression, not functionality. Functionality is protected by patents.
- hcknwscommenter 9y agoExactly. I don't see what you are disagreeing with. The point is that in order to leverage Java's developer base as quickly as possible they made it possible for Java developers to essentially develop for Android without needing to learn a new syntax for all the APIs they already knew. That is why they copied.
- gefh 9y agoHow many ways are there to define max? Surely AT&T should turn around and sue Oracle for lifting max(a, b) from stdlib. Or maybe SCO will rise from the grave and try it again.
- hcknwscommenter 9y agoAn infinite number of ways. Call it max(b,a) [i.e., reverse the order of b and a inputs]. But Google didn't do any of that. They copied.
- tankenmate 9y agoThe previous remark's point was that Java copied many C functions, inventions largely of AT&T and BSD.
- hcknwscommenter 9y agoI see the point, but that's "whataboutism." I also have no idea who owns the copyright (if anyone does) to stdlib APIs, and whether Oracle obtained license. Do you?
- 9y ago