Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 16:22:05 EST
From: peprbv AT cfa0 DOT harvard DOT edu (Bob Babcock)
To: kinscoe AT ccmail DOT crc DOT com
Cc: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Subject: Re: Distributing a recompiled GO32
Reply-To: babcock AT cfa DOT harvard DOT edu

> I can only address the Borland issue here and in the "3.x" release of the
> licenses you are NOT restricted from creating compilers and the like. It was
> when 4.x came out that they got cute about licensing, but since have received
> a thorough bashing for doing it from the user community that they have since
> issued new licenses that are in effect back to the "3.x" days. You must get
> this new license however (in print).

4.0 was not the first compiler which had a license agreement which restricted
you from producing compilers and the like.  The last time this question came
up, I dug out my Borland license statements and found at least two different
ones, neither dated and neither indicating which compiler they applied to.
One did indeed have a restriction on compilers and DOS extenders, although it
wasn't clear whether the restriction applied to the Borland compiler or to
the windowing stuff (Turbovision, Objectwindows?) which came with it.  I
asked in the Borland conference on BIX, and the reply was something like "the
answer is uncertain, the phone number of our legal department is ...".  I did
not call the lawyers.

I got my 4.0 upgrade a few weeks ago, but haven't really done anything with
it yet.  I didn't see any onerous restrictions on a quick scan of the license
agreement, and I had seen sections of the original license quoted which I
interpreted as meaning that you couldn't distribute a shareware program which
was compiled with BC4.  I plan on looking at the license more closely before
doing anything serious with BC4.