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HP Forum Archive 21

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Some errors about NOMAS, (c) of 71B ROM images
Message #1 Posted by Christoph Giesselink on 12 June 2012, 6:17 p.m.

I don't know who first wrote that some of the the HP71B ROM images are published under NOMAS.

For those who don't know, NOMAS stands for:

"NOMAS - NOt MAnufacturer Supported, Recipient agrees NOT to contact manufacturer."

NOMAS say _nothing_ about the copyright of these stamped listings!

AFAIK only the HP-71 FORTH/Assembler ROM IDS has source code stamped with NOMAS. I don't see the stamp wether in the "HP-71B Internal Design Spec Vol 3" or in the "HP-71B HP-IL Internal Design Spec Vol 2" showing the source code of the HP71B ROM and the HP-IL module.

Futhermore when the MATH-ROM source code is stamped with NAMAS, why is the MATH-ROM IDS not available on the Museum DVD set? AFAIK the sources of the MATH ROM had never been published. So how can the sources be NOMAS?

So if all would read the part of JFG's page carefully, where he published some HP71B ROM images, then it's clear that there's no formal authorization for publishing.

So everybody should think about the case what he's doing mixing copyrighted ROM images with commercial software. Wether JFG or I published our emulators with included ROM images.

Christoph

      
Re: Some errors about NOMAS, (c) of 71B ROM images
Message #2 Posted by Eric Smith on 12 June 2012, 10:00 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Christoph Giesselink

The FORTH/Assembler IDS was not published by HP, but instead provided to a user group (CHHU, if memory serves), similar to how the 41C VASM listings, 75 listings, and other similar material was provided.

The "NOMAS" stamp was something PPC, CHHU, and possibly other user groups stamped on material that was not HP-supported. AFAIK, HP never used that acronym themselves, although they may have released material to the user groups under the condition that the user groups made it clear to the members that the material was not HP-supported.

Edited: 12 June 2012, 10:03 p.m.

            
Re: Some errors about NOMAS, (c) of 71B ROM images
Message #3 Posted by Mike (Stgt) on 13 June 2012, 9:27 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Eric Smith

IIRC, PPC stamped the HP-41 OS and some 41-ROM sources 'NOMAS', but nothing HP-71. Possibly my memory fails here due to my limited focus on everything HP-41.

Anyhow, I regard NOMAS as a plea not a license. Even PPC had from HP the consent to distribute those listings some decades ago, I do not have the right to re-publish it again today. Well, 'to publish publicly' and 'to circulate in a circle of friends' is not the same. And lately Swiss justice has clearly defined what are friends and what is public even within facebook and the so called friends.

BTW, those HP41-NOMAS-listings intensified my esteem for the software developers who built the tool that perfectly satisfied my needs as student.

Ciao.....Mike

      
Re: Some errors about NOMAS, (c) of 71B ROM images
Message #4 Posted by Christoph Giesselink on 13 June 2012, 2:46 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Christoph Giesselink

Quote:
Futhermore when the MATH-ROM source code is stamped with NAMAS, why is the MATH-ROM IDS not available on the Museum DVD set? AFAIK the sources of the MATH ROM had never been published. So how can the sources be NOMAS?

For clarification, this was a rhetorical/ironical question. I don't have the source listing of the MATH-ROM.

Christoph

            
Re: Some errors about NOMAS, (c) of 71B ROM images
Message #5 Posted by Valentin Albillo on 13 June 2012, 4:10 a.m.,
in response to message #4 by Christoph Giesselink

Quote:
For clarification, this was a rhetorical/ironical question. I don't have the source listing of the MATH-ROM.

Nobody has. As far as I know, no one outside of HP has ever written a MAT keyword, or explained how to write one (parsing, fast access to matrix elements with extended numerical range, etc), or given relevant entry points in the ROM code.

Same goes for funny functions. A pity.

Best regards from V.


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