24 Jan
2004
24 Jan
'04
5:45 a.m.
On Sat, 24 Jan 2004, Ernest wrote:
I know that this is a bit like comparing apples and
oranges but I was
wondering who did what first?
Phoenix produced a legal clone of IBM's system Bios, which enabled other
companies to produced cheaper clones of the IBM PC.
V-tech produced a legal clone of the Apple II+ ROMs, which it used in
the Laser 128 (the only legal clone of the Apple II.)
I'm guessing that Phoenix was first, and Laser followed their example
when it decided to clone Apple's ROM codes. Is this correct? Did Phoenix
set an example for the whole industry?
I'm not sure (my guess is Phoenix since the Laser didn't come out until
around 1983/84) but I'm pretty sure "cleanroom" reverse engineering has
been around longer than that.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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