6 ms·

Adobe has the only copy, and they have donated early versions of PostScript (https://computerhistory.org/blog/postscript-a-digital-printing-press/ https://compu

Adobe has the only copy, and they have donated early versions of PostScript (https://computerhistory.org/blog/postscript-a-digital-printing-press/ https://computerhistory.org/blog/postscript-a-digital-printi...) and Photoshop; people should ask Adobe to release more. Everything I find in the public domain I post at https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects .

mistrial9 2y ago
isn't the topic the Patents, not the code? The code is mired in Mac toolbox details, no?
- reaperman 2y ago
  Even the parents from 1988-2000 would be well expired now
  - irrational 2y ago
    Poor moms and dads.
- 3abiton 2y ago
  Can you patent open-source code?
  - simondotau 2y ago
    Of course you can. If you invented it, and nobody else has patented it, you can patent it. Opening the source doesn’t invalidate your rights as an inventor or copyright holder, though it can add confusion and/or complexity to the enforcement of both the patent and the open source license.
    - andyferris 2y ago
      Yes, but my understanding is that publically detailing how your invention works _before_ trying to patent it means the invention becomes public knowledge/prior art. That is, so long as you submit a patent application before releasing the open-source code, it should be OK, but there's no much you can do once the cat is out of the bag.
      - simondotau 2y ago
        I imagine the rules and best practices would vary between jurisdictions, but basically yeah. But as soon as you file for the patent, you can release source and enjoy the confusion. (Based on 30 seconds of googling, it seems that the USA and Australia gives inventors a 1 year grace period after publishing, but the granted patent might not be valid in other countries.)
        p_l 2y ago
        USA also used to not consider publications or patents published outside USA as prior art, to the point of granting patents that were rewritten from someone else's patent in another country. Not sure if it got better or worse with WTO patent rules.
        Dalewyn 2y ago
        Considering the history of NAND flash amounts to Toshiba applying to Japan's patent office and getting laughed out of the room, then Sandisk saw it and applied for and received a patent for NAND flash from the US Patent Office, it's probably still the case.
  - p_l 2y ago
    Arguably patents as intended should require description of patented device/technique in detail that allows replicating it - effectively open sourcing it. The patent then serves as temporary moat on applying that specific technique or producing that specific device to refund the inventor. In practice... well, sometimes patents were used to recover details of closed-source software or hardware.
- userbinator 2y ago
  Patents expire after 20 years at most, I believe. Everything from before 2004 has expired already.
jart 2y ago
Wow are you the one that posted the original LISP 1.5 source code? I colorized that and used it to good effect in my blog posts. https://justine.lol/sectorlisp/#listing https://justine.lol/sectorlisp/#listing
- pmcjones 2y ago
  I beat the bushes for the source code, documenting my finds (https://mcjones.org/dustydecks/archives/category/lisp/ https://mcjones.org/dustydecks/archives/category/lisp/) and posting them (https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/LISP/lisp15_family/#LISP_I_and_LISP_1.5_for_IBM_704,_709,_7090_ https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/LISP/lisp15_fa...), but the early work was done by Jack Harper, Pascal Bourguignon, Rich Cornwell and Bob Abeles, Andru Luvisi, Angelo Papenhoff, Al Kossow, and others.

mistrial9 2y ago

isn't the topic the Patents, not the code? The code is mired in Mac toolbox details, no?

reaperman 2y ago
Even the parents from 1988-2000 would be well expired now
- irrational 2y ago
  Poor moms and dads.
3abiton 2y ago
Can you patent open-source code?
- simondotau 2y ago
  Of course you can. If you invented it, and nobody else has patented it, you can patent it. Opening the source doesn’t invalidate your rights as an inventor or copyright holder, though it can add confusion and/or complexity to the enforcement of both the patent and the open source license.
  - andyferris 2y ago
    Yes, but my understanding is that publically detailing how your invention works _before_ trying to patent it means the invention becomes public knowledge/prior art. That is, so long as you submit a patent application before releasing the open-source code, it should be OK, but there's no much you can do once the cat is out of the bag.
    - simondotau 2y ago
      I imagine the rules and best practices would vary between jurisdictions, but basically yeah. But as soon as you file for the patent, you can release source and enjoy the confusion. (Based on 30 seconds of googling, it seems that the USA and Australia gives inventors a 1 year grace period after publishing, but the granted patent might not be valid in other countries.)
      - p_l 2y ago
        USA also used to not consider publications or patents published outside USA as prior art, to the point of granting patents that were rewritten from someone else's patent in another country. Not sure if it got better or worse with WTO patent rules.
        Dalewyn 2y ago
        Considering the history of NAND flash amounts to Toshiba applying to Japan's patent office and getting laughed out of the room, then Sandisk saw it and applied for and received a patent for NAND flash from the US Patent Office, it's probably still the case.
- p_l 2y ago
  Arguably patents as intended should require description of patented device/technique in detail that allows replicating it - effectively open sourcing it. The patent then serves as temporary moat on applying that specific technique or producing that specific device to refund the inventor. In practice... well, sometimes patents were used to recover details of closed-source software or hardware.
userbinator 2y ago
Patents expire after 20 years at most, I believe. Everything from before 2004 has expired already.

jart 2y ago

Wow are you the one that posted the original LISP 1.5 source code? I colorized that and used it to good effect in my blog posts. https://justine.lol/sectorlisp/#listing https://justine.lol/sectorlisp/#listing

pmcjones 2y ago
I beat the bushes for the source code, documenting my finds (https://mcjones.org/dustydecks/archives/category/lisp/ https://mcjones.org/dustydecks/archives/category/lisp/) and posting them (https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/LISP/lisp15_family/#LISP_I_and_LISP_1.5_for_IBM_704,_709,_7090_ https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/LISP/lisp15_fa...), but the early work was done by Jack Harper, Pascal Bourguignon, Rich Cornwell and Bob Abeles, Andru Luvisi, Angelo Papenhoff, Al Kossow, and others.