MINIX license change (original) (raw)

Andy Tanenbaum

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Apr 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/7/00

Better late than never. I finally got permission from Prentice Hall to
change the MINIX license to the BSD license. The lawyers sort of sat on
this for two years.

Anyway, the new license conditions are below. These are the same as for
Berkeley UNIX. It seems to me better for the users than GPL since there
is no requirement to provide source code. MINIX is much smaller than Linux
and might well be suitable as the operating system for a watch, camera, or
transistor radio. The manufacturer of, say, a watch might really not want
to provide a CD-ROM with the source code with each watch or even a web site
with the source code, as being too much trouble. The new MINIX license says
you can distribute source if you want to, but you don't have to. At this
point, for most intents and purposes, MINIX is effectively no different
than being in the public domain. You can do whatever you want with it.

Sorry for the long delay. I had hoped this would happen earlier.

As I mentioned before, there might well be an interesting future for MINIX
on very low-end embedded devices where tiny size is important. What is
also important is that MINIX is fairly modular. If you don't need the
file system, just remove it.

Andy Tanenbaum
a...@cs.vu.nl

------------------------ New MINIX license --------------------------------

Redistribution and use of the MINIX operating system in source and
binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided
that the following conditions are met:

* Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

* Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided
with the distribution.

* Neither the name of Prentice Hall nor the names of the software
authors or contributors may be used to endorse or promote
products derived from this software without specific prior
written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS, AUTHORS, AND
CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.
IN NO EVENT SHALL PRENTICE HALL OR ANY AUTHORS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR
BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE
OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE,
EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Martijn van Buul

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Apr 7, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/7/00

It occurred to me that Andy Tanenbaum wrote in comp.os.minix:

> Better late than never. I finally got permission from Prentice Hall to
> change the MINIX license to the BSD license. The lawyers sort of sat on
> this for two years.

Wahey! I'd call this good news! Thank you very much for the effort!

> As I mentioned before, there might well be an interesting future for MINIX
> on very low-end embedded devices where tiny size is important. What is
> also important is that MINIX is fairly modular. If you don't need the
> file system, just remove it.

It's one of the aspects of Minix I like most..

--
Martijn van Buul - Pi...@dohd.cx - http://www.stack.nl/~martijnb/
Visit OuterSpace: mud.stack.nl 3333

Warren Toomey

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

In article <8ckjjf$3...@cs.vu.nl>,

Andy Tanenbaum <a...@cs.vu.nl> writes:
|> Better late than never. I finally got permission from Prentice Hall to
|> change the MINIX license to the BSD license.

This is indeed good news! To which version or versions does this license
apply?

Many thanks!
Warren

Kees J Bot

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

Kees J Bot

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

In article <38ee...@news.adfa.oz.au>,

All the way back. There are a few details that have to be checked
though. One can assume that the license applies to kernel+mm+fs, the
library and include files. The commands are a bit of a problem. 90%
of 'em have been donated to Minix, so they are covered, but there are a
few exceptions such as 'bc' that fall under the GNU license, or maybe
worse.

There is also the compiler. The former ACK maintainer has said to us
that it would be ok to throw the code on the street if someone puts it
back into shape for distribution. That will take some work. (ACK is
bigger than Minix.) It would be nice if Minix is "open source" and
available as source, from the first to the last byte.

I heard the news about the new license exactly two hours before you
could read it on comp.os.minix, so you understand that I haven't quite
gotten used to it yet myself. :-)

Steve Shack

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

>
>
> There is also the compiler. The former ACK maintainer has said to us
> that it would be ok to throw the code on the street if someone puts it
> back into shape for distribution. That will take some work. (ACK is
> bigger than Minix.) It would be nice if Minix is "open source" and
> available as source, from the first to the last byte.

Having the ACK compiler distributed with minix would be an excellent thing. Kudos
for this.

Kees J Bot

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

In article <38EF6351...@cln.etc.bc.ca>,

Don't thank me yet. Above is the plan, with one big maybe (I need to
confirm if freeing ACK is ok), and it needs to be done in my free time
when I have time. So don't expect anything until you see it. (Philip
will probably chide me on monday for announcing vapourware.)

Fred J. Scipione

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

Kees J Bot wrote in message <1eumc8...@jetsam.cs.vu.nl>...
... ...

>There is also the compiler. The former ACK maintainer has said to us
>that it would be ok to throw the code on the street if someone puts it
>back into shape for distribution. That will take some work. (ACK is

... ...

O.K. I hereby volunteer to package the ACK source code. (I hope it's
mostly in English!). How do I get the current files?

lei...@rochester.rr.com

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Apr 8, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/8/00

Well I'm glad to see this change.

It would have been much easier than wading through diffs in the
mid-80s ;-)

Thanks Andy (I'm not a Minix user much anymore, but caught this
on slash-dot)

--
marty
lei...@rochester.rr.com
The Feynman problem solving Algorithm

Write down the problem
Think real hard
Write down the answer
Murray Gell-mann in the NY Times

Waterpet

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Apr 9, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/9/00

Andy Tanenbaum <a...@cs.vu.nl> wrote in message news:8ckjjf$3...@cs.vu.nl...

> Better late than never. I finally got permission from Prentice Hall to
> change the MINIX license to the BSD license

Andy, i know you are much too busy being a professor, guru and what more,
but you're welcome at my place anytime to celebrate this with a good glass
of whatever you like. Computers will be off, i promise.

Badmuts

Christian Meuser

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Apr 10, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/10/00

Andy Tanenbaum wrote:
>
> Better late than never. I finally got permission from Prentice Hall to

> change the MINIX license to the BSD license. The lawyers sort of sat on

To me, there is no difference, since I was allowed to learn from Minix
even with the "old" license :-)

What are the implications about the uniformity of the code ?
Will there be one central "Minix-distribution" or will things
spread to a hoard of incompatible distributions as Linus does ??

Ciao
Mecki
--
/| /| _ _ |
/ | / | /_) / |/ | christia...@ixos.de
/ |/ |_\___\__|\_|_

IXOS Software AG
Bretonischer Ring 12
D-85630 Grasbrunn
Phone: +49-89-4629-1627
Fax: +49-89-4629-33-1627

Andrew Erickson

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Apr 10, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/10/00

In article <dkunc8...@jetsam.cs.vu.nl>,

>>> There is also the compiler. The former ACK maintainer has said to us
>>> that it would be ok to throw the code on the street if someone puts it
>>> back into shape for distribution. That will take some work. (ACK is

>>> bigger than Minix.) It would be nice if Minix is "open source" and
>>> available as source, from the first to the last byte.
>>
>>Having the ACK compiler distributed with minix would be an excellent thing. Kudos
>>for this.
>
>Don't thank me yet. Above is the plan, with one big maybe (I need to
>confirm if freeing ACK is ok), and it needs to be done in my free time
>when I have time. So don't expect anything until you see it. (Philip
>will probably chide me on monday for announcing vapourware.)

There is always the possibility of using (gasp) a different compiler if
the ACK one is difficult to get (or if the code is unpresentable). For
instance, there is the C68 compiler which I have been very happy using;
I don't know exactly what liscense it is distributed under, but I think
it's a "free for personal use" sort of thing. The source is availiable
and is even fairly understandable.

One would also need a cpp (such as the DECUS cpp) and an assembler (the
hardest part to find) to be able to have the source to everything.

The home page of this compiler is at:
http://www.itimpi.freeserve.co.uk/index1.htm

--
Andrew Erickson
(Infuriatingly, the posts which actually contain information on the new
liscense have not yet propegated to my news server, or have been thrown
away already; I may have to resort to Deja or something. Blecch!)

bma...@iglou.com

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Apr 10, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/10/00

On 2000-04-10 christia...@munich.ixos.de said:
>To me, there is no difference, since I was allowed to learn from
>Minix even with the "old" license :-)
>What are the implications about the uniformity of the code ?
>Will there be one central "Minix-distribution" or will things
>spread to a hoard of incompatible distributions as Linus does ??
>Ciao
>Mecki

With the new licensing, more people can be free to put up Minix sites and
make and distribute their own modifications. Since it is based on the
BSD license, perhaps you should look at how many different BSD Unix
distributions are out there (a few, but not nearly as many as Linux).

Net-Tamer V 1.08X - Test Drive

Tonton Th

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Apr 11, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/11/00

Andy Tanenbaum wrote:
>
> Better late than never. I finally got permission from Prentice Hall to
> change the MINIX license to the BSD license. The lawyers sort of sat on

> this for two years.
>

Very gooooood news !
But what about copiing the cdrom who come with
your (wonderful) book ?

Th.

Kees J Bot

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Apr 12, 2000, 3:00:00 AM4/12/00

In article <38F32F00...@chez.com>, Tonton Th <oul...@chez.com> wrote:
>
> But what about copiing the cdrom who come with
> your (wonderful) book ?

That was already possible with the "free for educational use" license.
Now you can charge megabucks for a copy. (Or just the media costs.)