🚀 go-pugleaf

	[ Any discussion of this should be held on gnu-misc-discuss.
	  Further more definite information, would
	  be appropriate for info-gnu. -len
	]

Forwarded-For: kingdon@ai.mit.edu

I just saw this announcement in biz.dec.  It seems like DEC is doing
what we've been advocating for a while: giving away the software and
selling the support.  They could have instead chosen to sell Athena
under the usual do-not-share terms (presumably with a few proprietary
"enhancements") (unless I'm mistaken Athena is available under the
same terms as X windows).  I say "seems" because the announcement
doesn't *quite* say that what DEC distributes will be free.

The significant parts of the announcement are

    MAYNARD, Mass. -- August 30, l990 -- "Athena," the innovative     
    computing environment developed at the Massachusetts Institute of         
    Technology (MIT), will be up and running at two new campuses this         
    fall. 
	 North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Iowa State 
    University (ISU) signed contracts totaling $7 million with Digital 
    Equipment Corporation to install the Athena systems software and 
    link together hundreds of Digital workstations.
    . . .
	 Athena software services developed at MIT are freely 
    redistributable.  Digital is offering support in planning, instal-
    lation, and staff training to universities who want to adopt the 
    system.