Subject: canonical answer about Sixth and Seventh Edition

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 1995 00:40:55 EST

So far as I can determine, AT&T doesn't think it has the
right to issue new licenses for any Unix editions, and won't
do so.  Several years ago, the Unix IP was transferred to
Unix Systems Laboratories, at first as a mostly-owned subsidiary;
USL was then sold to Novell, and recently Novell agreed to
sell its Unix business to SCO (and HP is partially involved).
As of the end of October 1995 this last sale had not been
consummated.

In other words, AT&T is out of the Unix business, and has been
for some time; any licenses will have to come from the current
owner.  But the "current owner" is itself in flux, and I doubt that
even before the latest sale, Novell was quite geared up to issue
Seventh Edition licenses; I have no useful suggestions about
how to obtain one officially (it might be interesting to try).

Official sources in AT&T have said that they have no objection
to reissuance of Lions's commentaries and source publication
of the Sixth Edition.

	Dennis

---

From: wkt (Warren Toomey)
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 09:39:45 +1100 (EST)

In atricle by [email-masked]:
> 
> I have no useful suggestions about how to obtain [a license for
> v6 or v7 UNIX] officially (it might be interesting to try).

Thanks Dennis, I didn't think it would be easy (or possible). I've passed
your comments on to the people who were interested, and I might try to
make contact with someone at SCO about it.

You did mention that you could ship me v5 and v6 for the old Unix archive
we are building here. I've got Steven Schultz sending me several 2.xBSDs
to add to the collection. I also have Tom Ivar Helbekkmo, from the
Norwegian School of Economics wanting to know how he can prove he has a
source license so that I can send him some files from the archive. Any
ideas?

I have no idea what you think of all this, but in any event I'll try to
avoid `hassling' you about it! Many thanks again for your help.

	Warren