Re: Does GNUstep infringe on Apple's Intellectual Property?

[Riccardo Mottola]

on 8/25/03 5:17 AM, John Anderson at janderson3272@wideopenwest.com wrote:

> More clearly, GNUstep is exactly (and indeed supposed to be) a copy of
> the OpenStep interface.  Therefore, what are the legal implications?

If I am correct (but long-time steppers may correct me) OpenStep is a
specification which is open, this was a great leap from NextStep.
OpenStep can be then implemented (like OPENSTEP was and in some sense
Cocoa).
GNUstep is an OpenStep implementation.

I think to clarify: Java is a specification, everybody can know what java
(and more importantly: all their cleasses) do.

So, if you do a clean-room implementation of a specification you can do it.

Take for example Kaffe (www.kaffe.org). It does not contain sun code and
implements a specifcation. There should be no problems with that.


correct me if I am wrong, please. This is the way I understood things.

-Riccardo