From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,365c587e3030d8f6 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Dave Wood Subject: Re: Win32Ada Date: 1998/11/12 Message-ID: <364BE12F.F38A285C@cts.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 411376357 Cache-Post-Path: wagasa.cts.com!unknown@arniek.cts.com Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit References: <72as14$bh4$1@platane.wanadoo.fr> <01be0e3b$a980c340$5da65c8b@aptiva> <72ev6o$gn$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Organization: Deja Vous Productions Mime-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: dpw@cts.com Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-11-12T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: dewarr@my-dejanews.com wrote: > > Note that a problem here is that the Win32 bindings are > copyrighted by Microsoft. This is very annoying, but is > a problem that has still not been resolved. I think the > copyright is somewhat dubious, since it could be viewed > as an attempt to copyright an interface dictated by > external requirements, something that has not been > supported by courts (e.g. in the Borland dispute). > > But Intermetrics is taking the position that the copyright > is valid, which means that it is not possible to post and > distribute these bindings freely. More specifically, distribution requires the licensee to also license the Microsoft SDK, which is why we are able to bundle it with ObjectAda. The curious thing is how this happened in the first place. If I understand the history correctly, Intermetrics made the bindings through direct government funding, so how did we get into a situation where taxpayers paid for this, as they did GNAT, and yet have to get Bill's permission to use it? There must be some interesting story there somewhere. In any case, the real problem with Win32Ada is that it is stuck at NT 3.5. This is why we also make available an alternate binding that actually evolves with the API (and has no funny Gatesian license restrictions.) Then again there are other options like the CLAW binding. -- Dave Wood, Aonix -- Product Manager, ObjectAda for Windows -- http://www.aonix.com