Re: Possibility of open-sourcing GS/OS

[Roger Johnstone <rojaws@orcon.net.nz>]

In <a1Kbf.11817$q%.4548@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com> Steven Lichter  
wrote:
> 
> Apple is really funny about its code.  Look at what happened to the 
> companies that were making Mac clones.  I know that for a while Apple 
> allowed companies to make clones of the Apple // and //c's, 

I think Apple would be surprised to hear that! There were clones, going 
at least as far back as the Apple II+, but most of them were illegal in 
the sense that they either directly copied the Apple II ROMs (the early 
Taiwanese clones) or part of the ROMs (Franklin Ace series). Apple sued 
Franklin in court over this and won. The Video Tech Laser computers were 
safe though because they had a ROM with no Apple code in it.

The only licensed Apple II computers I know of are the ITT 2020 (an 
early European II+ clone, made before Apple really had a presence in 
Europe) and the Tiger Learning Computer (a children's computer made 
after Apple stopped selling the II series).

> and then the Macs.

Those they did license from about 1995 to 1997, at which time Steve Jobs 
returned to Apple, took one look at the books ("We're making $50 in 
license fees for each $1000 computer sale they take off us?!?!") and 
axed the clone licenses.

-- 
Roger Johnstone, Invercargill, New Zealand
http://roger.geek.nz/
________________________________________________________________________
  No Silicon Heaven? Preposterous! Where would all the calculators go?

              Kryten, from the Red Dwarf episode "The Last Day"