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June 17, 2023 Remembering Paul Fillinich and Licensing C++ from AT&T | ||||
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[An early lesson in the advantages of Open Source} I was sad to hear that Paul Fillinich, an intellectual property lawyer for AT&T, passed away in 2020. I doubt many people are aware of his contribution to the success of C++. Back in 1987 or so, C++ and Objective-C were neck-and-neck in the race to create a better C. I was interested in gaining a competitive edge for my C compiler (Zortech), and wondered which horse to get on. Stepstone owned Objective-C, and had some onerous licensing terms for it. But C++? I made some phone calls, and finally discovered that Paul Fillinich was in charge of IP at AT&T. I contacted him and asked: 1. can I get a license to create a C++ compiler? 2. can I call it C++? Paul laughed. He said nobody had ever asked him a question like this in advance, they usually just went ahead and did things hoping nobody would notice. (Of course, being AT&T's IP lawyer, he did notice.) Paul said sure, go ahead. You don't need a license from AT&T, and AT&T didn't trademark C++. I owe him a large debt of gratitude, and so does the C++ community. Paul was one of the good guys. This enabled a thriving ecosystem for C++, and we all know what happened to Objective-C. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36374340 |
June 17, 2023 Re: Remembering Paul Fillinich and Licensing C++ from AT&T | ||||
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Posted in reply to Walter Bright | On Saturday, 17 June 2023 at 20:43:39 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> [An early lesson in the advantages of Open Source}
> [...]
> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36374340
I like so much those kinds of little stories from the 1980's or 90's.
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June 18, 2023 Re: Remembering Paul Fillinich and Licensing C++ from AT&T | ||||
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Posted in reply to user456 | On Saturday, 17 June 2023 at 20:54:51 UTC, user456 wrote:
> On Saturday, 17 June 2023 at 20:43:39 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
>> [An early lesson in the advantages of Open Source}
>> [...]
>> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36374340
>
> I like so much those kinds of little stories from the 1980's or 90's.
Indeed. He sounds like one of the right-minded folk, not one to place unnecessary obstacles in the way of others.
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June 18, 2023 Re: Remembering Paul Fillinich and Licensing C++ from AT&T | ||||
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Posted in reply to Walter Bright | On Saturday, 17 June 2023 at 20:43:39 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> [An early lesson in the advantages of Open Source}
Does not parse.
Missing closing "[" brace.
Too many closing "}" braces.
:-D
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June 18, 2023 Re: Remembering Paul Fillinich and Licensing C++ from AT&T | ||||
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Posted in reply to Walter Bright | On 6/17/23 16:43, Walter Bright wrote:
> [An early lesson in the advantages of Open Source}
>
> I was sad to hear that Paul Fillinich, an intellectual property lawyer for AT&T, passed away in 2020. I doubt many people are aware of his contribution to the success of C++.
>
> Back in 1987 or so, C++ and Objective-C were neck-and-neck in the race to create a better C. I was interested in gaining a competitive edge for my C compiler (Zortech), and wondered which horse to get on. Stepstone owned Objective-C, and had some onerous licensing terms for it. But C++? I made some phone calls, and finally discovered that Paul Fillinich was in charge of IP at AT&T. I contacted him and asked:
>
> 1. can I get a license to create a C++ compiler?
>
> 2. can I call it C++?
>
> Paul laughed. He said nobody had ever asked him a question like this in advance, they usually just went ahead and did things hoping nobody would notice. (Of course, being AT&T's IP lawyer, he did notice.)
>
> Paul said sure, go ahead. You don't need a license from AT&T, and AT&T didn't trademark C++.
>
> I owe him a large debt of gratitude, and so does the C++ community. Paul was one of the good guys.
>
> This enabled a thriving ecosystem for C++, and we all know what happened to Objective-C.
>
> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36374340
Nice story! You really should write a book someday...!!! :-)
(Will be a different experience)
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