[Simh] Is the Mentec license still valid with SIMH ?

[Bill Heaton]

On Jun 28, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Zane H. Healy wrote:

> At 3:36 PM +0100 6/28/08, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> It's been pointed out to me in the PDP-11 newsgroups that the
>> Mentec hobbyist licence, which allows hobbyists to run older versions
>> of the PDP-11 operating systems, is designed for use with emulation
>> software owned by DEC only.
>>
>> In light of that observation, I have a question: Is a person  
>> allowed to
>> use (under the Mentec hobbyist licence) the RT11 V5.3 and RSTS/E V7  
>> kits
>> on the simh website under the current version of the simh emulator ?
>>
>> Does the same also apply to the other versions of the operating  
>> systems
>> listed within that licence ?
>
> Certain alarmist elements looking to stir up trouble like to make
> this claim.  However, as of the last time I checked, which was well
> after Bob ceased working for DEC, the license was still valid.  All
> versions listed in the license are valid for use under SIMH, even
> though the SIMH website only has a couple versions.
>
> Zane


It seems to me that it's ever becoming a moot point considering that  
we're
rapidly coming up on the 10 year anniversary of the "Involuntary  
Revocation"
of the Mentec, Inc entity in Massachusetts.
http://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/corpsearch/CorpSearchSummary.asp?ReadFromDB=True&UpdateAllowed=&FEIN=000520828

We know that Bob worked with Chip Charlot of Mentec in this area and I  
respect
his assertion that SIMH is covered under the terms of Mentec License.

I have on multiple occasions since the early 1990's attempted to contact
Mentec at their various locations though multiple mean for  
clarification.  I have
never received a reply.

Considering that we have a dwindling resource, I made the personal  
choice
to create the "RSTS/E V9 Archive"  (http://wjh.conflux.net) to save  
what I consider
one of the pivotal operating systems in the history of computers.

In the Legal Information portion of the Archive, I prominently  display:

"To the best of our knowledge and belief all material in the RSTS/E V9  
Archive is either
  freely available in the public domain or covered by an appropriate  
license. The author,
  William J. Heaton can be reached at wjh at conflux.net if you need to  
have references to
  unlisted licenses added or for Digital Millennium Copyright notice  
delivery. "

Granted that the archive has only existed for about four months.  
However as of this date
I have not received a take down notice.  In the end time will tell;  
but I suspect that there
are very few if any people left to object.

Idle speculation without future information in my opinion is simply  
noise.  If the
issue is importance to Mentec I am very willing to work with them to  
clarify it.

Bill Heaton