Unix code in Linux

[Neil Moore <neil@s-z.org>]

Slashdotter lspd pointed this out in a recent thread, thereby
demonstrating that slashdot isn't completely useless.

Compare:
  /usr/src/linux/arch/ia64/sn/io/ate_utils.c in Linux
to:
  unix/malloc.c in UNIX 6th Edition (page 25 of the Lions code,
  lines 2522--2589)

atefree() is very obviously based on Unix's mfree(), and atealloc() on
malloc().  atefree()/mfree() even have the *same leading comment*.  Of
course, there are some changes, but the overall structure and many of
the details remain.

The copyright notice on ate_utils.c says:

 * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public
 * License.  See the file "COPYING" in the main directory of this archive
 * for more details.
 *
 * Copyright (C) 1992 - 1997, 2000-2002 Silicon Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved.


This code is obviously not a trade secret, since it has been published
in the 1996 version of the Lions book.  However, it is copyrighted,
and the book's (C) notice says:
  . . . SCO [i.e. the Santa Cruz Operation, not The SCO Group] has
  granted a license to publish solely for the purpose of creating an
  educational work.  SCO grants no license for any other use of this
  material . . . .


What kind of license did SGI have to the Unix code ca. 2000--2002?
Did the original malloc()/mfree() appear in BSD Lite (and thus lost to
USL/Novell in the settlement)?  Is there any reason to replace this
code?  Is there any reason not to replace this code?

-- 
Neil Moore: neil@s-z.org, http://s-z.org/~neil/