A. Daniel King has sent the following letter (slightly
edited for publication) to various parties at Apple Computer. After he
posted it to one of our email lists, I asked his permission to share it
with the broader Mac community.
- Apple
- 1 Infinite Loop
- Cupertino, CA 95014 USA
Dear __________
I have been an avid fan of Apple computers for some time. I have no
fewer than five Apples here at my desk, at least five more in the
closet across the room, and two more in the next room.
I often frequent Low End
Mac, a group supported by donations and limited advertising. I also
enjoy http://www.mac512.com.
I do not represent these sites, and I am not affiliated with them in
any manner except a common interest in the longevity of older Macintosh
computers.
The purpose of this letter is to request (beg) that Apple release
the binaries and the source code for the following software into the
public domain:
- All Mac OS versions before 8.x, especially those previous to
6.x.
- All BIOS versions for all 68K-based (and earlier) computers.
- All versions of GS/OS.
- All versions of ProDOS.
- All Apple-owned Apple II-series software.
- All versions of A/UX.
Why? The reasons are many. I will only list a few.
1) Release these titles for the good of Apple, the continued worth
of the Apple name, the growth of public trust and goodwill toward
Apple, and for the historic preservation of a great company.
Other great companies have museums dedicated to the enjoyment of
their history. Coca-Cola, BellSouth, Ford, and many others are among
this list.
Apple has influenced history no less than these other entities.
2) Release these titles for the good of, oddly enough,
Microsoft.
Apple needs Microsoft for obvious reasons. Microsoft benefits from
Apple computers in the marketplace. The U.S. Department of Justice is
delving deeply into the practices of Microsoft. The more Apple
computers in use help Microsoft as a "non-monopoly." Mr. Gates still
sits on Apple's Board of Directors, right?
3) Release these titles to enhance Apple's competitiveness in the
rapidly changing licensing arena.
Sun Microsystems has released Star Office to the world. The Linux,
GNU, Free-Binary, and Open Source movements have gained a foothold
which,- though dampened by the dot-com market correction, will not soon
be eliminated. The various "free" license agreements could stand as
models for Apple to stand upon - while still protecting Apple's
interests. Licenses such as these would allow Apple to be
"bleeding-edge" - not just in the technical area, but also in the
licensing arena.
4) Apple already has a viable platform for distributing this
software: www.apple.com and ftp.apple.com. The entirety of the above
software could not possibly take more space than a single CD-ROM (which
is also great marketing opportunity). The cost of the additional
bandwidth would need consideration, but it could not be more than the
current Mac OS or iMac download bandwidth. If desired, no additional
paper, no shipping cost, no additional media, no physical distribution
channels would be necessary!
5) Releasing these titles could not possibly harm Apple. Are they
large revenue producers? Would they cut into current revenue?
I submit that there is negligible revenue produced by these titles.
In addition, would a Mac Plus ever be able to cut into the iMac line?
An Apple IIgs? However, this release will create more revenue in
current product lines. There exist two major market segments which will
be effected by this release:
- Those individuals unable to afford an iMac and needing some sort of
word processor.
- Those who already own a high-end Macintosh as well as an extensive
older Mac collection and are attempting to support those in the first
group.
By helping the second group, Apple encourages the purchase of
additional Apple products. This group notices the treatment it receives
from a company and makes future decisions accordingly.
The market for this older software understands that it is out of
warranty, that there is no official support, and so forth. The sites,
such as Low End Mac and The Mac 512, are for individuals like myself.
Such individuals support, report on, provide answers, and encourage the
purchase and use of Apple equipment and software.
We would be jubilant to see ftp availability of the software in
question. The adoption of a policy allowing individuals or user groups
to redistribute software (as in the case of mac512.com) would be
equally welcome.
However, I am troubled by information such as that presented in the
article by Stuart Bell, a Methodist Minister:
http://lowendmac.com/myturn/010316.html
where he elaborates how mac512.com was relieved of the ability to
distribute older software by Apple.
6) There are thousands of subscribers to the mailing lists supported
by lowendmac.com. These are not your average end users. They are the
longtime Apple loyalists. They write articles and are featured in major
publications (like Mr. Bell and the New York Times). They write
software and maintain Web sites. And they all use old Apple Computers,
often directly beside their Power Mac or iMac. These users effect
literally thousands of other potential buyers in their schools,
churches, families, and other organizations. Usually this effect
results in the purchase of Apple hardware and software. Many times this
effect results in the purchase of Apple stock.
7) Finally, I ask this release for several selfish reasons. I am a
computer technician currently out of work. I am attempting to support
and service older computers to earn a little money. My work would be
greatly facilitated if I could get to the above mentioned software
legally without a fee.
In closing, I would also like to note that booting up an early
compact-Mac from a 400K floppy with an old and radically different Mac
OS is just plain cool.
Please consider my requests as the sentiment of many loyal, longtime
Mac users.
Sincerely,
A. Daniel King,
Apple Enthusiast Forever
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