GNUsworthy Flashes

GNU's Bulletin

January, 1989

   * Some parts of BSD are becoming free

     After years of urging from us and others, the people who maintain
     Berkeley Unix have decided to release various parts of it (those which
     don't contain AT&T code) separately as free software.  This includes
     substantial programs which we hope to use in GNU, such as TCP/IP support
     and possibly the C-shell.

     The files freed in the 4.3 BSD-Tahoe distribution are now on the beta
     test tape.

     Also, the next release of Berkeley Unix may contain the Make, AWK, and
     `sh' from the GNU Project instead of those from Unix.  The reason is
     that the people at Berkeley would like to have improvements in these
     programs like those in system V.3, but they find the new restrictions on
     V.3 licenses unpalatable.  Both we and they hope they never get a V.3
     license.  We may help them avoid it by providing alternative software.

     GNU Make already supports the system V features, as does GAWK.  Both
     programs are in beta test.

Copyright 1989