Distribution Licence For Workbench...

[commodorejohn]

Applause to Franko, and rude noises to the copyright natterers. That's all I have to say.

[commodorejohn]

I'm not worried about C=USA, it's Cloanto that has my concern.  Cloanto donated money to TeamAROS (and perhaps to Power2People since they took over TeamAROS bounties) for development of open source software, including the AROS kickstart bounty.  I don't like seeing Cloanto getting screwed for being one of the few commercial companies supporting not only classic Amiga community but AROS community as well.  So no, I'm not going to give it a rest.

Once Cloanto offers a copy of WB3.1 for sale unbundled, I will happily purchase it.

[commodorejohn]

Franko, i think you might have more success if didn't try to get them for free but a discount.

Kind of irrelevant when you can't even make contact with them...

[commodorejohn]

@Franko to be Frank with you (excuse the pun), the best idea is to just support the AROS68k project. It already has compatibility with AmigaOS 1.3 through to 3.1, and is getting better everyday...

Saying "just support AROS instead" is completely missing the point. What we have here is a group of crooks who vultured the rights to software they didn't even make, software that is crucial to the operation of a 68k Amiga. They've locked up that software and licensed it to one company that doesn't even make it available outside of a compilation product that many of us don't want.

AROS 68k is a fine and noble effort, but even when it gets to the point that it's self-hosting, that still won't change the fact that the real Amiga system software (not some application program, the software needed to run the computer) is locked up by a passel of thieves and scoundrels.

[commodorejohn]

No, AI licensed out that to multiple companies. Cloanto, C=USA, and Hyperion.

Oh, my mistake. AI licensed to three companies, and none of the four has made OS3.1 available outside of bundling with another product. There, factually accurate again!

Yet AROS68K is a replacement for real Amiga system OS's, right down to the kickstart.  But I know, it's easier to pirate then to do the right thing.

Not yet it's not - and in any case, my point wasn't that it isn't fully compatible, it's that it's not the real system software, which remains in rights lockdown thanks to AI.

But I know, it's easier to natter about piracy than to face the fact that AI is using broken copyright law to screw us over.

[commodorejohn]

Since "Amiga Inc." in its many incarnations, moved from 1.3 through 3.1 on to versions 3.5 and 3.9, it shouldn't come as a shock that they're not spending their money supporting older versions just as most other software companies don't spend their money supporting old versions of software.

I don't demand that they spend any money or make any effort to support them - but if they're not going to make older versions of the program (with significant functional differences) available in some form other than bundled with somebody else's unrelated product, I'm not much interested in hearing people whine about piracy. It's like the kid on the playground who's been given a cool toy, but he doesn't actually care about it and the only good he derives from it is getting to go "neener neener, I've got it and you can't have it!" to all the kids who actually want to play with it.

[commodorejohn]

JUST BECAUSE YOU CANT GET HOLD OF THE OWNERS OR THEY NOT REPLYING DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE LEGAL RIGHT TO HOST THE SOFTWARE.

So it doesn't give you the legal right. So what? Who cares? The law isn't the highest good.

[commodorejohn]

I really don't understand what koaftder & Fats hope to achieve.

They just want everyone to understand that this is illegal, you know:
[youtube]rmQFcVR6vEs[/youtube]

[commodorejohn]

I personally own some of the physical RKM books but if I remember some of that documentation was later published in HTML and put out on the web. Maybe I'm wrong? Who cares? It's not the same situation.

Interesting that your copying things of unknown/muddy legal status is somehow A-okay...