From: pnm@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au (Paul Big-Ears Menon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: MacTCP license fees & Eudora
Date: 12 Nov 92 03:09:57 GMT
Organization: Computer Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d12
X-XXMessage-ID: <A728102B67024015@thylacine.cs.rmit.oz.au>
X-XXDate: Thu, 12 Nov 92 21:44:11 GMT

In article <1dq4g0INN7dn@morrow.stanford.edu> Malcolm Pradhan,
pradhan@camis.stanford.edu writes:
>In article <sdorner-101192120156@0.0.0.0> Steve Dorner,
>sdorner@qualcomm.com writes:
>>Rumor has it Apple has decided to take the price of MacTCP through the
>>roof.  I'm told that an internal use license for corporations has gone
>from
>>$2500 *one-time* to $5000 *annually*.  Seemingly Apple would just as
soon
>>that no low-cost MacTCP software exist. Typical Apple policy--Free Bad,
>>Expensive Good.
>
> I read in MacWeek today that the price for corporations is indeed going
>up to $5000, the university site licensing price is going from $1500 to
>$4000. Quite a jump! MacWeek also said they would be making it harder
>for companies to distribute MacTCP as part of their product, users
>may have to get it straight from Apple (ie. APDA wouldn't even sell it).
>I can't remember whether these costs where still once off or annual.
>
> The reason seems to be the same reason for the System 7.1 upgrade cost -
>the splitting of Apple into sections which must return a profit. The
>Enterprise System Division are responsible for MacTCP so I guess they
>have to recoup development costs, just like the System Software division.
>

On a related note - we received a notice in the mail for our MacX site
Licence "addendum".  We originally had a one off $US 2,500 (I think)
fee and a one unit cost for each upgrade (that is - we buy one copy of
the latest MacX). This addendum now informs us that to upgrade to
MacX 1.2 and still remain a site lincensee will cost us....
			
			$US 25,000!!!!
			
		This is an order of magnitude increase!!!

And, of course, if we look closely at the original agreement, we notice
that the "Agreement" term is ...

  "...one year from the Effective Date.  As long as the Licensee is not
  in breach of this agreement, this license will be automatically renewed
  each year."

I wonder whether we're:

	*	Now in breach of the `agreement',
	*	Privileged to pay for `automatic renewal'.

And will this $25k be an annual fee???  Sure, why not?
	
Either way, it sounds as though arrogance rules the waves.
To be quite honest, it looks as though the Macs (at RMIT) have just
lost ANY advantage it once had as being able to function as networked
workstations.  Sorry Apple, unless there is a rethink by you lot (and
I have already asked for clarification), you've just lost to PCs, Unix,
dumb terminals and X-terminals.  If this is the case (the fee), don't
consider this just a lost battle - it's the whole shooting match.
RMIT cannot afford this.  
		
		END OF STORY

Paul Menon
pnm@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au
Computer Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,
124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
Ph: +61 3 660 - 3209/2348	Fx: +61 3 662 1617

PS: As for MacTCP - I hear the site license (someone else read the
fine print) means you have to sell your soul to Apple.  That is, you
have to give Apple the rights to a comms package you're developing.
As the Apple person (so I hear) said (paraphrased),

	"Don't worry, we'll never call that marker in, just sign..."

As the wolf said to grandma - Trust Me...