Re: ROM dump legal?


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Re: ROM dump legal?



At 08:25 PM 2/5/98 -0500, you wrote:
>At 07:25 PM 2/5/98 -0500, Thomas J. Hruska wrote:
>>Sure there might be those who would attempt
>>to hack into my code to get the ROM, but I have methods on my side to make
>>sure they don't ever figure the encoding scheme out.  So, is it legal or
not?
>
>
>Not legal at all.  The deal isn't whether or not people will see the rom,
>its whether or not the rom dumps are being distributed.  Encoded or not,
>they are.  When a person buys the caculator, they aren't just buying the
>electronics, the rom is the main thing they are buying.  By giving out the
>rom with the program, its like they have this platform to use - you say to
>test out games, but that doesnt mean thats all they are limited to.  The
>fact is, distrobution of roms is illegal, including them with your programs
>is also illegal.  If you want to be able to distribute something like
>that... good luck on working backwards to contruct a rom yourself, because
>the way you propose isn't legal.

Okay, what if I re-create all the useable CALLs and JPs to various routines
in the ROMs on various calcs?  Since the structures of the various calcs'
ROMs are known (locations of the calls and jumps) it shouldn't be too hard
to re-write everything without requiring the use of the ROM at all since I
myself have an 82 and I can use the ROM in that as a base for the
re-creation of various routines.  You know, displaying pixels, writing text
to the screen, etc.  I would only need one set of routines since the calcs
are virtually the same (minus the TI-9x series but there shouldn't be much
difference even then) in what ASM programs can call.  I just use a jump
table stored on the hard drive for the different emulations.  In that case,
I would only need one program to emulate all the calcs.  Now is this legal
providing I design my own routines and leave TI's ROM alone or would TI
think I was copying their ROM when in reality I wouldn't be?  What other
problems could arise (programming or legal)?


                 Thomas J. Hruska -- thruska@tir.com
Shining Light Productions -- "Meeting the needs of fellow programmers"
         http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/8504
                    http://shinelight.home.ml.org

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