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Cyhist Dec 4, 1998 C
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========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 10:33:26 -0900
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Joshua S. Hodas" <hodas@CS.HMC.EDU>
Subject: Re: CYHIST Digest - 1 Dec 1998 to 3 Dec 1998 (#1998-83)
In-Reply-To: <199812040535.VAA29565@turing.cs.hmc.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
>On Wed, 25 Nov 1998, Eric S. Raymond wrote:
>
>I am trying to date and locate the roots of the Internet "free software" culture. Specifically, I'm trying to pin down when sharing of software over the Internet or UUCP between people with no face-to-face contact first became a routine and marked feature of hacker behavior.
A couple of years ago I was digging out a paper in an old copy of CACM from the
early 1960's (I think it was The original McCarthy paper on Lisp) when I came upon a letter that I now show to my students to impress on them that the notion of Free Software is not a new one:
Dear Editor:
It has come to my attention that a 704 statistical program has been produced at Arizona State University which apparently does a pretty good job on factor analysis and a few other things. Unfortunately, the letter I saw indicated a charge of $3 for the manual, $4 for one box of binary cards, and $20 for four and a half boxes of SAP cards (plus postage).
I believe that this has very unfortunate implications for the computing profession. When one has to cover printing and card costs, that is one matter. In this case, however, it is clear that what is being charged for is the development of the program, and while I am particularly unhappy that it comes from a University, I believe it is damaging to the whole profession. There isn't a 704 installation that hasn't directly benefited from the free exchange of programs made possible by the distribution facilities of SHARE. If we start to sell our programs, this will set very undesirable precedents.
Bernard A. Galler
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Does anyone know anything about the cited organization, SHARE, and its history?
Josh Hodas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Hodas / Assistant Professor Home Phone: (909) 625-1179
Computer Science / Harvey Mudd College Office Phone: (909) 621-8650 1250 North Dartmouth Avenue E-Mail: hodas@cs.hmc.edu
Claremont, CA 91711 WWW : http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~hodas/
______________________________________________________________________
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Joshua S. Hodas" <hodas@CS.HMC.EDU>
Subject: Re: CYHIST Digest - 1 Dec 1998 to 3 Dec 1998 (#1998-83)
In-Reply-To: <199812040535.VAA29565@turing.cs.hmc.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
>On Wed, 25 Nov 1998, Eric S. Raymond wrote:
>
>I am trying to date and locate the roots of the Internet "free software" culture. Specifically, I'm trying to pin down when sharing of software over the Internet or UUCP between people with no face-to-face contact first became a routine and marked feature of hacker behavior.
A couple of years ago I was digging out a paper in an old copy of CACM from the
early 1960's (I think it was The original McCarthy paper on Lisp) when I came upon a letter that I now show to my students to impress on them that the notion of Free Software is not a new one:
Dear Editor:
It has come to my attention that a 704 statistical program has been produced at Arizona State University which apparently does a pretty good job on factor analysis and a few other things. Unfortunately, the letter I saw indicated a charge of $3 for the manual, $4 for one box of binary cards, and $20 for four and a half boxes of SAP cards (plus postage).
I believe that this has very unfortunate implications for the computing profession. When one has to cover printing and card costs, that is one matter. In this case, however, it is clear that what is being charged for is the development of the program, and while I am particularly unhappy that it comes from a University, I believe it is damaging to the whole profession. There isn't a 704 installation that hasn't directly benefited from the free exchange of programs made possible by the distribution facilities of SHARE. If we start to sell our programs, this will set very undesirable precedents.
Bernard A. Galler
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Does anyone know anything about the cited organization, SHARE, and its history?
Josh Hodas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Hodas / Assistant Professor Home Phone: (909) 625-1179
Computer Science / Harvey Mudd College Office Phone: (909) 621-8650 1250 North Dartmouth Avenue E-Mail: hodas@cs.hmc.edu
Claremont, CA 91711 WWW : http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~hodas/
______________________________________________________________________
