Facts please

[Chuck Swiger]

Lawrence E. Rosen wrote:
> Does anyone know the year that the University of California first released
> software under the BSD?

The /COPYRIGHT document on a BSD system states:

Copyright 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
         The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.

I haven't been able to find an earlier copyright date for BSD software than 1979.

> Does anyone know the year in which Richard Stallman first released the GNU
> system under the GPL?

I'm not quite sure what you mean by the "GNU system": I don't believe 
once-planned GNU operating system on top of the HURD kernel was ever completed 
to the point of being released, and eventually they adopted Debian Linux, (or 
Debian/GNU Linux, if you please), instead.  Checking emacs-18 or other versions 
of classic GNU software suggests that the GPLv1 dates to 1989:

                     GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
                      Version 1, February 1989

With kind regards,

-- 
-Chuck


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