Re: Mimic Spartan(s) for me!

[CUTjefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff Blakeney)]

On Wed, 16 May 2001 12:43:26 +0200, "Sheldon Simms"
<sheldon@semanticedge.com> wrote:

>Hmm... As Michael J. Mahon has already pointed out, in the web site
>mentioned by Ernest (www.applefritter.com/appleclones/spartan/index.html)
>A certain Brent Marykuca (brentm@telus.net), said to be the lead software
>developer for the Spartan admits that
>
>   The software features of the Spartan included a compatible Applesoft
>   BASIC -- very compatible, since it was created by disassembling the
>   binary from the Applesoft ROM and reordering assembly level
>   instructions...
>
>In other words, Jeff, you are in possession of pirated software.
>
>I am interested to hear how you plan to handle this Jeff. Will you be
>consistent with your own arguments and destroy your Spartan (or least
>the rom chip), or will you be a hypocrite? Please inform.

If it were an exact copy of the Apple II+ ROM, I would indeed remove
it.  Mind you, if it were an exact copy, I could just put the ROM from
my real II+ in it to make it work.  :-)

However, it is NOT an exact copy.  It may be a derived work as Michael
mentioned.  Yet, even if it were proven that the ROM was illegally
created, the chance of there being a recall on the Spartan or its ROM
is very small and unless they recall them, I am legally allowed to
continue using the ROM I have.  I have heard of people running across
Apple II clones that Apple had won law suits against and stopped
production of but the ones that were already out there stayed out
there.  Then there is the RocketChip versus the ZipChip.  The
RocketChip was put out of production due to patent infringement but
the ones that were already sold are still legally out there.

I'm sure there is more to the story of the creation of the Spartan ROM
other than "dissassebling the binary from the Applesoft ROM and
reordering assembly level instructions".  There is also the monitor
ROM to think of too.

So, the way I plan to handle it is to continue using it just like I
always have.  (Which is VERY infrequently, by the way. :)

--
 Jeff Blakeney - Dean of the Apple II Unversity on A2Central.com