From: terjer@ifi.unit.no (Terje Rydland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: MACS COST TOO MUCH (NOT!)
Date: 31 Aug 92 07:17:35 GMT
Organization: Ifi, University of Trondheim / AVH

In article <92240.120751ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET> ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET writes:
>In article <ewright.714845483@convex.convex.com>, ewright@convex.com (Edward
V.
>Wright) says:
>>
>>affix smiley faces to *all* your arguments.  And I'm still waiting for
>>you to tell me where you got ATM and OS/2 for free.
>
>Let`s see: where do I get MacOS for free? At the Mac dealer, if I buy a Mac.
>So where do I probably get OS/2 for free? At the IMB dealer, if I buy a PS/2.
>Or from Dell (as far as I have heard) if I buy a Dell machine.
>If I don`t buy a machine I get nothing for free. Apple charges me DM149 = $100
>for System 7 and IBM DM212 = $141 for OS/2.

The only reason that you would want a MacOS is that you have a Mac. You buy
a Mac - you get the OS. We can always discuss (without ever reaching a
conclusion)
how big part  of the price of a Mac is the price of the OS.
Now if you do need the OS (either because you want to upgrade or for any other
reason) you can copy the floppies from somebody - you don't have to pay
for this. (According to people in Apple that I have talked to). If you want the
documentation you will have to pay for that.

>
>>No, what Apple is really charging you for is (overpriced) documentation
>>and technical support.  If all you want is System 7, you can get that
>>free.

>See above. A device or program w/o documentation is no device or program.
>It`s simply nonexistent for any practical purpose.

This is not true. I can drive my car without the documentation. I can
use my Mac without the documentation. I can use a program that is well
written eithout the documentation (MacWrite II, MORE, WingZ etcI)

> If I depend on it
>which is surely true in case of an OS I need doumentation i.e. pay cash.

Depends on what you want to do. I think that most people will never
look in the documentation of the MacOS. If you want to develop for the
machine that's another thing. Then you need documentation, but then
you need to buy the Inside Mac and other technical documentation, not the 
documentation of the OS.

>
>>>And they will charge you considerably if you want AU/X.

Like any other UNIX. Our 5 licenses of UNIX for our SPARC stations
cost us far more than our 10 licenses of A/UX
>>
>>Of course, why anyone would want AU/X is an interesting question.
>
>Ask Apple, they obviosly thought it was a good idea to develope it. Or
>perhaps they had some spare money. In that case the interesting question
>is why ?

You have heard of Universities, haven't you:-)?

> Of course a computer in Germany has a German keyboard.
>And the machine I listed had actually two OSes: a German DOS/Windows and a
>German OS/2. You can use whatever you want. I don`t know what you mean with
>German scripts

Exactly!

> BTW: the $5700 IIsi didn`t include any
>applications despite of HyperCard for which you have to buy the docs for an
>extra charge.

Apple stopped bundling software with their Macs so that people would develop 
programs for the machine. Nobody buys a wordprocessor if they get one for free
when they buy the machibe. 

>
>>Of course, if a Mac IIsi really does sell for $3200 more in Germany than
>>it does in the United States, there's an obvious solution.  Fly to the US
>>and buy one here.  You should be able to pay the import duty, replace the
>>US power supply with a foreign one, and still have enough money left over
>>for a very nice vacation.
>
>Thats a nice idea:    bundling a computer with a free vacation in the US.
>A whole new dimension of userfriendliness. Get your Mac in sunny
>California and get a free suntan. Great!

Or go to another country closer by! Even in Norway we don't have to pay those
prices. For US$ 5700 you get a Quadra 700 with 16" screen here!

Terje Rydland
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.sys.amiga