> As of (apparently) March 21st, the Redbook has been revised (without > incrementing the version number, contrary to normal IBM > practice), and *all* > references to Hercules have been carefully expunged! > Anyone with a clue what's going on? Suspicious of rewriting history!
Pure speculation, but I would guess that Hercules has gotten far enough up into IBM's radar in terms of licensing and intellectual property "borrowing" that they may be compelled to do something about it, and publishing information like this in a IBM-sponsored publication is tacitly encouraging such activities so the lawyers probably jumped on someone's head and had the redbook quickly revised before some smart sea-lawyer grabbed onto it as a copyright/intellectual property dilution. The question now in *my* head is whether IBM will make the intelligent choice: a hobbyist license or certification of Hercules for purchase of a regular license, or the dumb choice: unleashing the lawyers and trying to have Hercules eliminated via legal action. Let's hope it's the former -- it would do wonders for the acceptance of the 390 as a viable application architecture again. -- db
