Re: object/load module formats

rfg@netcom.com (Ronald F. Guilmette)
Sat, 12 Mar 1994 08:11:14 GMT

          From comp.compilers

Related articles
[2 earlier articles]
Re: object/load module formats sdm7g@elvis.med.virginia.edu (Steven D. Majewski) (1994-02-16)
Re: object/load module formats geoff@fcca.csi.com (1994-02-16)
Re: object/load module formats jprice@cadev5.intel.com (1994-02-19)
Re: object/load module formats brent@jade.ssd.csd.harris.com (1994-02-20)
Re: object/load module formats rfg@netcom.com (1994-02-24)
Re: object/load module formats meissner@osf.org (1994-03-02)
Re: object/load module formats rfg@netcom.com (1994-03-12)
Re: object/load module formats zstern@adobe.com (1994-03-22)
| List of all articles for this month |

Newsgroups: comp.compilers
From: rfg@netcom.com (Ronald F. Guilmette)
Keywords: linker
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
References: 94-02-094 94-03-020
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 1994 08:11:14 GMT

meissner@osf.org writes:
>Also the work (phone tag, etc. not actual coding) involved to actually
>be able to use ELF legally without a SVR4 license was a nightmare.


I'm particularly interested in this point, and if Mike would elaborate
a bit, I'd appreciate it.


As far as I'm concerned, ELF can be thought of as a sort of binary language
(for expressing object files).


ELF has been publically documented (by USL, in their publically available
books, e.g. UNIX System V Release 4 Programmer's Guide: ANSI C and
Programming Support Tools; ISBN 0-13-933706-7) so USL certainly cannot
make any credible claim that it is covered under trade secret laws (because
they have made no serious attempt to keep it a secret).


Nor is it likely that ELF is covered by any patents. (Hey! Object file
formats are not exactly grand new inventions... the're all just variations
on an old old theme.)


That leaves only the possibility that ELF might be covered under some sort
of copyright. But as I understand it, some court cases have already made
it clear that ``languages'' cannot themselves be copyrighted. (Wasn't
there some decision a few years back about DBASE IV macros or something
like that?)


So why would anyone (other than a lawyer who bills by the hour) think that
there are any legal constraints against using ELF?


If there's something that I don't understand here, I'd be glad to be en-
lightened.


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Ron Guilmette, Sunnyvale, CA ---------- RG Consulting -------------------
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