🚀 go-pugleaf

[Christopher M Mauritz <cmm1@CUNIXA.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU>, wrote...]

> Would I have any legal problems with Atari if I disassembled the ROM
> code, altered it to suit my individual needs, and then burned a new set
> of ROMs for my machine?  
...etc...

  If, in fact, John Townsend said what you quoted him as saying, I think
he's very wrong on this.  As far as I can see, there is no legal reason
you can't do -anything- you want with -your- property including, but not
limited to, modifying the OS, turning it perminantly into an answering
machine, and/or making a plant stand out of it.  Selling (or giving away)
the modified OS is another matter which would probably result in
infringement on Atari's rights over the code in the roms.

  Disclaimer:  I'm no lawyer...  Take my opinions only as opinions.

>   Myself and a couple of friends are (1) really impatient for the ROM
> upgrade (which Tramiel just said wouldn't be available anyway for the
> 1040)

  How certain are you of this quote?  I've reciently read messages from
Atari concerning release of the 1.4 roms and haven't seen any indication
that these were not going to be available for the 1040.  (Matter of fact,
that they were talking about releasing two different physical sets of
roms for different socket sets (the various different boards in the
1040's and 520's ??) would tend to indicate -exactly- the reverse is
true...)  Are you sure this isn't a misinterpritation or a mis-quote of
some of the other recient announcements concerning the 1040/520?  I've
ocassionaly seen problems in Atari where the left hand didn't know what
the right was doing (or saying), but this sounds like far too bad (more
like "fatal") a PR move for it to be true (or to remain true for long...).

  I've been using the ram 1.4 version of TOS (I'm a registered developer)
for a few months now and I'd HIGHLY encourgage you to wait for it if it's
going to be available.  It solves so many problems and is so much faster
than the current rom versions that spending the time and effort to RE-fix
the bugs already fixed in 1.4 sounds like a supreme waste of time iff
Atari is going to make it available sometime in the next 6 months....

  One way or the other ... good luck,
				... John Stanley

---
John Stanley <dynasoft!john@stag.UUCP>
Software Consultant / Dynasoft Systems