[Note: Not all the postings on comp.sys.hp48 are funny.  Some are
 *very* heavy and thought-provoking.  We all owe Dave Arnett a big
 Thank You for writing articles that fall into both categories.
 Here's one of the latter type.  -jkh-]

Subject: Re: Hp48g rom dump source
Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 11:00:43 -0700
From: Dave Arnett <Dave_Arnett@vcd.hp.com>
Organization: HP Vancouver Site
To: John H Meyers <jhmeyers@miu.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48

Responding by e-mail and by post to comp.sys.hp48
>
> > HP reads this forum.  If I were them, I would go after the SOBs.
>
>   Permit me to observe that if you review all the posts from
>   everyone at HP who ever posted anything on this newsgroup,
>   none of them has ever taken such a negative tone as this
>   towards anyone; to do so would be a bad reflection on the
>   dignity of their company.

Despite how much we may WANT to at times!  (Actually, I've embarassed
myself here on occasion.)

Incidentally, neither H (Bill) nor P (Dave) reads this forum.  But
many of us who work for HP do.  Some of us remain alert to threads like
this one.  When we find ROM code posted, or when we find sites with
the HP48 ROM images available, we don't reply to the newsgroup, other
than to restate our unofficial recommendation that such activity be
avoided. In many cases, a response to the newsgroup would be a waste
of time.

There are ways to automatically request that mail servers remove
offensive posts.  And there is an HP corporate lawyer with whom I
correspond when I believe I find something posted or made available
that violates HP's copyright privledges.

I am grateful to the many members of this newsgroup who save me the
trouble of posting "Thou Shalt Not Steal" responses when folks offer
or seek ROM images.  They save me the hassle of looking like the demon
of the net.  I can now rest assured that, when offers or requests are
presented in this forum, the errant party will be quite sternly
informed of their mistake.  It usually happens in a calm, friendly
manner, as is appropriate to this newsgroup.  I suspect it may
happen in private e-mail, rather than by public posting, which is a
sign of the courtesy of our regular subscribers.

Let me reiterate my feelings on the topic, with the reminder that I do
not speak in this forum as a representative of Hewlett-Packard Company,
but as a concerned, longwinded technical professional who is lucky to
have a few unique insights into the HP48 calculator.

If you have an HP48G or GX, then your ROM is an authorised copy of my
work.  I first created that bit pattern on my computer, translating it
from the emulator image developed by others in my work group.  I hold
the original files in an archive.  I was the first person to program
that image into a 512kByte ROM.  I have that ROM in my desk drawer.
I was the first person to execute that code in the form you enjoy it.

My friends and I worked very hard to develop the HP48, in all its
varieties.  We did so with a sense of creativity and passion that show
in many aspects of the machine.  There are some of the team whose
livelihoods still depend directly upon the revenue that HP gleans from
this work.  My ability to feed, clothe, and house my wife and children
is a direct result of HP's ability to sell the results of my labor.

If you find that the HP48, or any other piece of engineering, is worth
while; that it fills a useful niche in your toolbox; or that it is
worth your effort to acquire and maintain; then please do what is
right on behalf of those who labored to create that code or device:
respect their right to earn a living by their labors.  If they ask for
payment for their services or products, either respond with the payment
or do not use their product.  It is no less a travesty to rewrite the
terms of the software license for your own benefit, than it is for
your neighbor to rekey your car locks to his benefit.

If anyone is uncertain whether giant corporations deserve the money
they demand, please stop and consider that giant corporations are made
up of folks like me.  Don't think of HP Corporate Headquarters.  Think
of my two-year old daughter.  That's who you are stealing from when
you violate the copyrights on my work.

I feel I'm probably preaching to the choir on this topic, or should be.
Most of the folks who want HP48 functionality will some day rely
on intellectual property protection for their own livelihoods.  Those
who would copy software with cavalier disregard for others today, may
be of quite a different mindset in another decade.

I wish you all well.

Dave Arnett.