Re: [DotGNU]Propoganda starts at home...

[David Sugar]

Because the runtime (virtual machine) code can be easily rendered into a 
readable source much like Java (albiet missing identifiers) there is some risk 
that if one has used a .net system when it exists, that one might have looked 
at and de-compiled these files to create compatible libraries.  It is hard to 
prove that didn't occur per se, much like what could theoretically happen to 
Wine and Samba if, say, someone deliberately leaked MS code.

It has been suggest to me that those which do try to create a CLI and 
supporting class library should only have looked at the relevent ECMA 
documents and some third party publication (such as a book) that describes
the class library.  I would like to ask someone like say Moglen about this 
issue and will try to do so when I get a chance.  It is quite possible and
one hopes that Ximian has performed "due dilligence" in this regard to
make sure what they have and are writing will be a fully clean-room 
implimentation.

Is it legal?  I think it's on a shakey premise myself, but remember, what
is legal is not always what is ethical or just.  Lets see what we can learn 
about this from an authoritative source...

David


> Do you think that there might be any legal recourse to this?  I mean,
> just on concept alone - I reject Microsoft's authority to say that
> someone who has "used" a program can't create something LIKE it.  I've
> never used nor personally seen a .Net implementation (even though we
> have one where I work) and I will sign any documentation necessary to
> show that.  However, there's something really insidious at work here
> (which I think we can all agree on) and I reject this principal
> outright.
>
> I mean, is this legal?  
>
>         -Barry
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