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Geek Culture / [LOCKED] QBASIC is not copyright?

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8truths
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 00:35
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I saw this on several web pages. They say that copyright on QBASIC has expired. This can't be true, can it?

Copyright goes forever, practically -- especially after the US Congress gets done redefining it!

The reason I ask, is because I slapped together a CGI thingie that calls QB interpreter and uses BAS files as scripts.

Now, if it is free to distribute QB, then I can just put QB.EXE and the accompanying files with the CGI, otherwise, I just have to tell folks, "You need a QB.EXE copy and you have to install it where the server can find it."

Is this possible?

Does anyone have a link proving one way or another?

I figure to call MS Monday when I have a moment (I refuse to ask companies anything over the weekend).
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 00:37
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LMAO!!
Copyrights last 50-70years depending when they were setup... qBasic is younger than me, i know that i feel 70 somedays but i know that i'm not.

I pride myself that i don't kill... well not without a good reason
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Kanzure
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 00:37
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Copyright goes forever, practically -- especially after the US Congress gets done redefining it!

No they don't. Copyrights can expire, just light patents...sorta..heh..You can't copy it EXACTLY and say its yours.

And, I believe QB1.0 is already "free". Now 4.5 and 7.x(?) are not. I do not know if they are free now, but I'm sure MS still wants the copyright. Besides, if it expired, they would simply pay another thousand to get it back.

Quite easy, so..doesn't even matter really.

~Morph
Owner of MultiCode.NET and Multi2k.NET.
Nothing is something, and something is then nothing. Life is an illusion.
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8truths
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 00:41
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The abandonware folks have always had a strange way of arguing to suit themselves.

If Linux's symbol is a penguin, abandonware's should be an ostrich with a lion chewing on his ass.

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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 00:50
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Morph copyrights are $5,999 but still to Microsoft thats like pocket change hehee

I pride myself that i don't kill... well not without a good reason
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Kanzure
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 00:54
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Copyrights are that high? Now I'm confused.

My mother tells me my great grandfather invented the Spork, but wasn't able to copyright it because my great grandmother (who is still living!) wanted to get a HAT..and thats why we don't have the copyright to the damn spork...

Now wait..Copyrights are..$6,000 nowadays, so back then maybe $2,000. Errr...$2,000 = 1 Hat? CONFUSION!

~Morph
Owner of MultiCode.NET and Multi2k.NET.
Nothing is something, and something is then nothing. Life is an illusion.
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 01:11
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depends when... copyright of something like a single object design is different to copyrighting software - i just know that software goes for $6k now ... around 20years ago it was probably closer to $1,000

i mean the house my grandfather left me 20years ago was £30,000 and is now worth £250,000 and a Mini Cooper in 79 was like £400 brand new but now would set you back around £9,000 - inflation can be alot, but different in each economy.

I pride myself that i don't kill... well not without a good reason
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8truths
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 01:12
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A spork is not a copyright.

The word can be TM.

The design would be patented.

This is what makes software such a pain, and the reason we still have zero good court rulings to work with.

For example, algorithms can be patented, but the code is copyrighted.

But, you don't have to show the source to the USPTO. Just the binaries.

Then, the software name can be TM (unless it is like "Windows" which has a very limited TM right).

We can't stop here! This is bat country!
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the_winch
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 02:34
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Just find one of the numerious places you can download qbasic from and link to it telling people to download it from there if they don't have a copy.
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8truths
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 08:12
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That's just proxy . . . If there is a legal issue, it would nag me.

We can't stop here! This is bat country!
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FieldDoc
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 14:09
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I thought copyrights were free. Certainlly in the UK since there is no register for them.

Life is like a penis:
When it's soft you can't beat it, when it's hard you get screwed.
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Kangaroo2
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 16:59
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UK copyright is free if you can prove you were the first person to own it - Ie send yourself a copy of whatever it is in the post, then store it unopenned. Then you can prove you had it before anyone else who tries top use it. Now trademarks and patents are completly different and much more complex

In the States the laws are more complex, and you can pay to get it sorted. But if you can prove that you made it first, they'd still have a problem if you took them to court for selling an identical product.

Personally I wouldn't try to put Qbasic.exe on a website or with a source file - Microsoft may not look to kindly on it. Mind you, since they on longer include it in operating systems, I would imagine they aren't too keen on using it nowadays - still, I wouldn't risk it

Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes, They got them hoppy legs & twitchy little noses,
And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?
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Flashing Blade
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 17:28
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Yes copyright is free in old blighty.

So if any of you write a game or a novel or a song that you think might do well, send it to me and I will publish it - then we'll split profits 50/50
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8truths
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 19:18
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US copyrights are also free.

However . . .

If you pay to register your copyright, you are entitled to automatic damages ($10,000 per, I believe), per instance of infringement. For example, if the Harry Potter case had not turned out to be total fraud, every move ticket, every book sold -- essentially, every receipt -- would have been an instance.

If you don't pay, you have a longer legal process per infringement, and you must seek specific damages in court for each infringement (in other words, you have to conclude the cost of your copyright, and then convince a judge).

Kanga2 -- Mailing to yourself does not count as proof. It is very possible to tamper with, and no good judge would let that stand.

. . .

We can't stop here! This is bat country!
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Kangaroo2
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 20:47
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They told us to do that at school business studies Mind you, my school was not the fountain of information and knowledge I could have hoped for

Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes, They got them hoppy legs & twitchy little noses,
And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?
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IanM
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 21:34 Edited at: 30th Jun 2003 21:34
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You could send it to a solicitor and get them to hold it for you - not free, but not $6000

Anyway, back to the post subject:
Quote: "QBasic 4.5 is not being made by Microsoft anymore and you can't get a copy off the Internet without breaking several international laws"


from here: http://www.qbasic.com/q&a.shtml

If you own a Windows 95 CD or DOS (gasp!), you can find it there, otherwise, your out of luck.
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Martyn Pittuck
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 21:48
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solicitor is best. recored delivery is ok. photo next to a newspaper not any good.

I have heard of people using photos of products next to a newspaper in court, twats

Web Design Starting from $200. Special limited offer. MSN or Email me for more information.
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8truths
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 22:58
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Y'see, that's what sucks.

I probably have six CD and a ton of floppies with QB on it.

Maybe, if there ever was a need to have a legal copy, I could just buy up some old DOS CDs.

Oddly, some of those are going up in value on eBay as they get more rare. (Have you seen what people are paying for some of the older UNIX server stuff?)

We can't stop here! This is bat country!
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 30th Jun 2003 23:02
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so this was all about just qBasic executeable not the Source?
sometimes i really miss the point when certain people post

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8truths
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Posted: 1st Jul 2003 01:13
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The orig post was about:

Quote: "a CGI thingie that calls QB interpreter"


As for:

Quote: " when certain people post"


I will assume this your usual . . .

We can't stop here! This is bat country!
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Richard Davey
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Posted: 1st Jul 2003 18:50
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Deleted and locked due to kiddie (or acting like) fighting.

"Gentlemen, we are about to short-circuit the Universe!"
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