Next step for Amiga(like)OS?

[Piru]

Take all that talent and knowledge from both OSes and create a new Amiga compatible and "Amiga like" OS that is a step into the future for everyone.

I see a small problem here, assuming Amiga Inc wins (and I can't see how they could lose really), it means that they would pursue any attempt to re-use the knowledge gained from working with the AmigaOS 4.0 (it is based on the original sources after all), meaning anyone in the team would be tainted forever.

So assuming such project would ever be started (note: this is speculation, I am not signing up to any such project here), it'd be quite impossible to include anyone from the OS4 team, just alone because of this.

BTW I don't find this funny, only slightly ironic.

[Piru]

@amigadave

What would AInc. have to gain to start another lawsuit against the team if they start work on something new, but are using their knowledge and talent toward a similar, but different result?

Full ownership to a nice OS without actually paying anything for it?

AInc. has not gone after the MorphOS2.x team lately.

They never had a case anyway, and they know it.

[Piru]

@weirdami

Much like anyone that worked on MorphOS.

Except that MorphOS is not based on AmigaOS source code, and as such is clearly not derivative work. Many claims have been made that this would be the case (by some pretty high up people), even claims of 1:1 disassembly of amigaos 3.x being found from inside MorphOS (which is quite funny considering MorphOS is PPC).

While it could be argued that any new amigoid code written by the OS4 team members would be free of any such influences, it would give pretty strong argument for A Inc to claim otherwise (since clearly these people have had access to the source code for years, and have used it as base for earlier derivative work).

[Piru]

@amigadave

I don't think they would have a case against a new OS coded by the AOS4.x and MorphOS2.x teams either, unless both teams really screwed up and tried to copy parts of AOS4.x too closely.

No MorphOS team member have had any access to OS4 source code, ever, so it would be impossible for anyone outside the OS4 team to know if some random code is clean or not. At least I wouldn't be ready to take the risk of getting the whole project tainted by any OS4 code.

And even if it was clean, A Inc could drag the new project to court for years, just because of a possibility of such a thing. No, I wouldn't include any OS4 team members to such project.

[Piru]

This question of MorphOS legality seems to pop up from time to time. Here's some interesting Amiga Inc interview:

29 July, 2002

I would start this interview, by asking if you see at MorphOS as a
illegal product?

Amiga INC. writes:

Our position is that the elements of MorphOS which allow it to
provide AmigaOS compatability have been illegally derived. These
either need to be removed or a licence obtained for them. I am afraid
I cannot say more than that due to advice from our lawyers.


Monday, April 29, 2002, 11:10:22 PM, I asked:

And finally...

But you should stop doing this.. Why cant Amiga go for the future,
show that you are strong? I know this is a marked {sic. perhaps he
meant to type "market". Brad} strategy to somewhat push MorphOS out.
Its like Lindows for the PC marked. Its a competitor to Windows, but
also RUN's Windows programs. You should start to think like an Amiga
user Bill. If you have full believe in your work, then drop the case
and go further. We all know you should have the right to use Amiga,
but MorphOS aint using Amigas name. I want both products on the
marked, it will be a colourfull marked and thats what we want, not
another Commodore keeping all secret and kinda forget what the
userbase want. Please clear things out for me?

Amiga INC. writes:

You do not understand the legal implications of what you say.
Whatever the merits or otherwise of MorphOS, they used illegally
obtained AmigaOS source code to develop their product. If Amiga Inc
does not defend that code, then we can lose all rights to it. We have
no choice BUT to prosecute anyone who dares to make use of Amiga code.

The MorphOS team knows this and has spent the last six months or so
trying to remove any code they have which was derived from AmigaOS.
However, our attorneys already have a copy of a MorphOS release where
via disassembly, you can prove that they did use the same source
routines as were in the AmigaOS source code that they had.

(from http://www.amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2002-09-00005-EN.html)

MorphOS Team never heard a beep from Amiga Inc. I can only assume their lawyers gave them more good advice, this time about idle threats.

(And lets not even get into the fact that Amiga Inc would rather sue their own partner than the competition...)