[Mono-list] Ask Microsoft: Mono support

[Dan Maltes]

For what it's worth(probably not much with the erratic judges out =
there),
here=92s the Digital Millennium Copyright Act legalise on reverse =
engineering:

TITLE 17 > CHAPTER 12 > =A7 1201

=A7 1201. Circumvention of copyright protection systems
=20
(f) Reverse Engineering.=97=20
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), a person who =
has
lawfully obtained the right to use a copy of a computer program may
circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a
particular portion of that program for the sole purpose of identifying =
and
analyzing those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve
interoperability of an independently created computer program with other
programs, and that have not previously been readily available to the =
person
engaging in the circumvention, to the extent any such acts of =
identification
and analysis do not constitute infringement under this title.=20
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a)(2) and (b), a =
person
may develop and employ technological means to circumvent a technological
measure, or to circumvent protection afforded by a technological =
measure, in
order to enable the identification and analysis under paragraph (1), or =
for
the purpose of enabling interoperability of an independently created
computer program with other programs, if such means are necessary to =
achieve
such interoperability, to the extent that doing so does not constitute
infringement under this title.=20
(3) The information acquired through the acts permitted under paragraph =
(1),
and the means permitted under paragraph (2), may be made available to =
others
if the person referred to in paragraph (1) or (2), as the case may be,
provides such information or means solely for the purpose of enabling
interoperability of an independently created computer program with other
programs, and to the extent that doing so does not constitute =
infringement
under this title or violate applicable law other than this section.=20
(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term =93interoperability=94 =
means the
ability of computer programs to exchange information, and of such =
programs
mutually to use the information which has been exchanged.=20


-Dan=20

-----Original Message-----
From: mono-list-admin@lists.ximian.com
[mailto:mono-list-admin@lists.ximian.com] On Behalf Of George Birbilis
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 6:46 AM
To: Jonathan Pryor; Jonathan Stowe
Cc: RoBiK; Mono-List
Subject: Re: [Mono-list] Ask Microsoft: Mono support

I don't consider viewing an assembly's publicly exposed methods/fields =
etc.=20
to be reverse engineering
If you decompile though and copy/paste code parts etc. then it is =
reverse
engineering and could potentially cause problems similar to the =
Linux-SCO
stuff

>> >
>> > http://searchvb.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid8_gci101
>> > 9210,00.h
>> > tml
>>
>>         "Mono is an attempt by Novell to reverse engineer parts of
>>         Microsoft's .NET Framework."
>>
>> A wonderful piece of FUD slinging that.
>
> Where's the FUD, exactly?
>
> Parts of .NET are standardized under ECMA, which Mono implements.
>
> Parts of .NET are *not* standardized under ECMA, which Mono also=20
> implements.  (For example, System.Web.UI, System.Windows.Forms,=20
> System.Data, etc.)
>
> How else could Mono implement the non-standardized parts of .NET than=20
> by reverse-engineering?  Hell, we likely needed to reverse-engineer=20
> parts of the standardized portions, in places where the standard=20
> wasn't explicit and we needed to maintain compatibility.
>
> Reverse engineering isn't a bad thing.  It's what allows competition=20
> to exist in many fields.

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