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Pascal-p2 is the original sources of the Pascal-P compiler from ETH Zurich,
as created by Niklaus Wirth and his students. It was and is public domain,
as acknowledged by Professor Wirth, and I add my modifications to it to
the public domain as well.
Public domain is a widely misunderstood concept. There is no "license" possible
nor needed for public domain works. There are no restrictions on it's use, nor
do it's authors have any rights to it. It can be used for any purpose, public or
private, and distributed or modified for any use whatever, paid or not.
The following are typical answers to questions about public domain works in
general, and this work in specific.
Q. The Berne convention states that copyright in Europe, where Pascal-P
originated, is automatic. Doesn't that make Pascal-P a copyrighted work?
A. The laws in all copyright countries dictate what must be done to qualify
as a copyrighted work. Since there is no specific legal agreement concerning
public domain work, public domain is shaped by what constitutes enforceable
copyright. The most common features of public domain are, but not limited to:
1. The author has stated the work is public domain.
2. The work has been distributed freely and with knowledge of the author(s).
In the case of Pascal-P, both are true.
Q. Dosen't public domain mean that I may no longer be able to gain access to the
source?
A. If every copy of the work were to be erased or burned, but that is virtually
impossible. Nobody can order you to release your copy since, by definition,
there are no "rights" to a public domain work.
Q. Can't someone just copyright or patent the work later?
A. Showing that a work is in the public domain is part of denying copyright or
patent to a work. By definition, a legitimate public domain work cannot later
be copyrighted or patented.
Q. Can't someone improve the work, then gain rights to that derived work and
thus restrict it's use?
A. Anyone can improve a public domain work, but they only have rights to their
improvements, not to the original work. If their improvements are trivial, then
it would be trivial for others to add that functionality. If it is not trivial,
then you might want to pay for it.