[Lazarus] Proprietary vs Open Source mentality

[Rolf Grunsky]

On 12-09-02 10:15 PM, Hans-Peter Diettrich wrote:
> GNU software was born when the previously free Unix source code was
> swallowed by a AT&T, and many *developers* needed a new base (OS, tools,
> libraries...) for their own work. These agreed to contribute to
> community projects, for free and by open source code, while retaining
> the right to live from their own programs, built for that environment by
> using the therefore available tools. So it's a free personal decision
> how to make private or company projects available to the public.
> DoDi

A not so minor historical note. Unix never was or is free. Unix was 
developed at Bell Labs which was the R&D arm of AT&T. At the time, as a 
regulated monopoly, AT&T could not sell the software and as a result, 
made it available to educational institutions without charge. The 
software was free as in free beer but the copyrights belonged to AT&T.

The University of California (at Berkley) produced a version of Unix 
(BSD -- Berkley Software Distribution) that eventually was free of all 
AT&T copyrights. AT&T Unix has never been "open Source". Just look at 
the recent SCO squabble over the ownership of the Unix copyrights. AT&T 
did licence Unix to several compainies. AIX is one example of a non free 
derivative. On the other hand BSD Unix and all its derivatives are "open 
source" being the original BSD Licence.


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