[rescue] Sparc Classic & IPX rescue

[Andrew Hoerter]

On 12/14/13, Fred <FRED at miser.misernet.net> wrote:

> I'd like to run something Solaris-ish.  Is this even legal?

In the olden days, you received a Solaris license as part of the
purchase of a new machine.  Whether this license was transferrable to
a 3rd party, I don't know.  Eventually there were free licenses for
noncommercial use, and I think even commercial use for a brief period
before Sun's acquisition.  But those changes came long after machines
of that vintage were EOL.

Unless you're the original owner or using one of the explicitly free
releases, running old versions of Solaris on used hardware is at least
legally dubious... in some highly theoretical sense.  As for any
practical risk arising from that, well, I guess it's up to one's
individual judgment.