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Re: [nls-legal] Request from NLS restoration project at Computer History

To: curt.carlson@sri.com
Cc: gust@acm.org, adam.cheyer@sri.com, nls-legal@chm.cim3.net
From: Philip Gust <gust@NouveauSystems.com>
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2006 09:38:04 -0700
Message-id: <7.0.1.0.2.20060404093653.134c1d60@NouveauSystems.com>
Curt,    (01)

Did you receive the previous message?    (02)

At 06:59 AM 3/27/2006, Philip Gust wrote:
>Curt,
>
>I wanted to make sure my message got through.  Our email server has 
>had some problems in the last week.
>
>Best regards,
>
>At 05:38 PM 3/17/2006, Philip Gust wrote:
>>Curt,
>>
>>The Computer History Museum's Software Collection Committee has 
>>several test bed projects aimed at developing methodologies for 
>>collecting and preserving software, as the CHM currently does for 
>>hardware and other artifacts.  I'm leading the NLS/Augment 
>>restoration project.  We have several team members, including 
>>Jonathan Cheyer, Adam's brother.  We also have several advisory 
>>team member, including Doug Engelbart and Jeff Rulifson.  I've 
>>first met Doug in 1986, when I was just starting the collaboration 
>>technologies group at HP Labs.
>>
>>The reason I'm writing is to ask for your help. One of the major 
>>goals of the project is to make the NLS/Augment system itself, 
>>together with its source code and documents available for study and 
>>new development on a non-commercial basis.
>>We've successfully cloned NLS/Augment, and are in the process of 
>>creating a installable version.
>>
>>One idea we've considered is to release a  DVD to coincide with 
>>SRI's 60th anniversary. The DVD would include an installable 
>>version of NLS/Augment, extracted documentation and source code, 
>>related literature, a bibliography, a set of web pages to organize 
>>the collection. It would also include a new Java based AugTerm we 
>>have built that runs as an applet in a web browser and works with 
>>the SRI chord keyset and a mouse.
>>
>>Before doing that, though, we need to ascertain the status of 
>>copyrights to the system and related documentation.  We've spent 
>>over a year tracing ownership and getting copyright releases from 
>>potential owners along the way. No one claims to own it, although 
>>we have evidence that all of them have at one time or another. In 
>>short, NLS/Augment appears to be an orphaned work from a copyright standpoint.
>>
>>Our strategy has been to get releases from each of them to the 
>>effect that they have no records of owning it, but have no problem 
>>for their part with CHM releasing copyrighted material on a 
>>non-commercial basis. Thanks to help from Lew Platt at Boeing and 
>>Vint Cerf who used to be at MCI, we have releases from Boeing and 
>>British Telecom, and expect to have one from MCI shortly.
>>
>>The final release we need before asking the CHM legal committee to 
>>approve our moving forward is from SRI.  We realize that that SRI 
>>sold NLS to Tymshare, but having such a release would provide 
>>documentation covering the SRI to Tymshare part of the story and 
>>enable us to complete our case for NLS/Augment being an orphaned work.
>>
>>If you are willing to authorize such a release, please let me know 
>>who at SRI I should work with. I can provide the text for existing 
>>releases as examples of what we're looking for.
>>
>>I should mention, too, that we're also investigating the 
>>feasibility of creating reproduction chord keysets and possibly 
>>mice, since we anticipate that the release of NLS/Augment, together 
>>with Doug's new Hyperscope project, will generate renewed 
>>interest.  I've discussed this idea briefly with Adam Cheyer and 
>>John Toole, and I'd like to discuss it with you at some point to 
>>see if something might be done jointly with SRI, CHM, and possibly 
>>Logitech.  I should have a detailed proposal ready within a month.
>>
>>
>>Best regards,
>>
>>
>>Philip Gust
>>Nouveau Systems, Inc.
>>3120 De La Cruz Blvd., Suite 120
>>Santa Clara, CA 95054
>>
>>phone: +1 650 961-7992
>>fax:   +1 520 843-7217
>>
>>mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com
>>
>>Nouveau Systems products seamlessly integrate collaboration, 
>>information management, processes automation, and capture of 
>>mission-critical knowledge.  To learn how Nouveau Systems products 
>>can help your organization drive innovation, visit: 
>>http://www.NouveauSystems.com
>
>
>Philip Gust
>Nouveau Systems, Inc.
>3120 De La Cruz Blvd., Suite 120
>Santa Clara, CA 95054
>
>phone: +1 650 961-7992
>fax:   +1 520 843-7217
>
>mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com
>
>Nouveau Systems products seamlessly integrate collaboration, 
>information management, processes automation, and capture of 
>mission-critical knowledge.  To learn how Nouveau Systems products 
>can help your organization drive innovation, visit: 
>http://www.NouveauSystems.com
>    (03)


Philip Gust
Nouveau Systems, Inc.
3120 De La Cruz Blvd., Suite 120
Santa Clara, CA 95054    (04)

phone: +1 650 961-7992
fax:   +1 520 843-7217    (05)

mailto: gust@NouveauSystems.com    (06)

Nouveau Systems products seamlessly integrate collaboration, 
information management, processes automation, and capture of 
mission-critical knowledge.  To learn how Nouveau Systems products 
can help your organization drive innovation, visit: 
http://www.NouveauSystems.com    (07)



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