28 Nov
2025
28 Nov
'25
2:26 p.m.
And even HP is a farce of a company now - a sad sad shell compared to what
they were.
Who actually owns the software? Have we considered going to them and
asking? It worked for CP/M - which is now unencumbered.
Kindest regards,
Doug Jackson
em: doug(a)doughq.com
ph: 0414 986878
On Sat, 29 Nov 2025 at 05:18, Paul Koning via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
wrote:
for or with
On Nov 28, 2025, at 2:32 AM, Rod Smallwood via
cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 28/11/2025 04:10, Chris Hanson via cctalk wrote:
> On Nov 27, 2025, at 9:45 AM, Peter Ekstrom via cctalk<
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
>> Ok, so there basically isn't a truly
legit and ethical way to run it
as a
>> hobbyist.
> There is not a legal way to run it unless you acquired a perpetual
license to run it on that system before DEC/Compaq/HP stopped selling such
licenses.
>
> Whether it is *moral* or *ethical* to run it is independent of whether
it is *legal* to run it, and a poor analogy such as one likening running it
to stealing a car will not help much in making up your own mind about such
things.
— Chris
> I worked for DEC for 10 years. They were the best company I ever worked
> They were altruistic, kind and generous.
They loaned out hardware and
software all the time.
I am English and to an extent therefore somewhat can claim to have
an indpendant view.
Here I will make a non-detrimental comment.
The US is dollar driven and uses its laws for business advantage when
it can.
The most famous British judge Lord Denning always said.
"This is not a court of law but a place of justice, fairness and
truth"
DEC has (sadly) been gone for 25 years.
Technically that is not accurate. While DEC is no longer a standalone
company, its property still has an owner, but nowadays that's either VSI,
HP, or XX2247 depending on which parts you're talking about.
paul