[long] Re: Legal traps in open source *WAY* OT.

[Howard Lowndes]

On Thu, 31 Oct 2002, Alex Satrapa wrote:

> In some cars these days, you cannot start the engine until the gears are
> in neutral - this is common in automatics (there is no clutch), I don't
> think I've seen it in manuals yet (the manufacturer assumes you'll have
> the gears in neutral or the clutch disengaged).
>
> In my car, the motor will start regardless of being in gear or not.  So
> yes, my car will automatically move forward as the starter motor drives
> not just the motor, but the drive train as well. The user has to know to
> disengage the clutch before starting the motor.

Actually one of the Asian models requires you to depress the clutch pedal
in order to have the starter engage; I forget which one though.

I think the best one was on the old grey Fergusson tractor (about 1948)
where the starter was one of the positions on the gear shift gate and also
required the depression of an interlock button on the side of the
transmission housing.  Now that shows my age :)

-- 
Howard.
LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people
Contact detail at http://www.lannetlinux.com
"Flatter government, not fatter government." - me
 Get rid of the Australian states.
------------------------------------------
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?