From: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us (Joseph Nathan Hall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Why the Piracy? Here's why...
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 93 23:03:46 EDT
Organization: 5 Sigma Software
Reply-To: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v5


In article <D2150035.o9jc19@outpost.SF-Bay.org> (comp.sys.mac.programmer), peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce) writes:
) 
) In article <tal691.727611521@huxley> (comp.sys.mac.programmer), tal691@huxley.anu.edu.au (Tonio Loewald) writes:
) > 
) > Look, musicians get royalties on their CDs, but not on illegal recordings
) > of their CDs. 
) 
) Actually I believe they do.  There is some sort of surtax levied on
) blank cassettes that flows into ASCAP(?) to compensate the artists.

Did that actually get passed?  <sigh>  Oh, well, at least most of
what I buy these days is DATs.

) This compensates them for people making personal recordings of CDs
) onto cassettes.  Bootleg tapes are another animal all together.

On the other hand, I use them almost exclusively for duplicating my
copyrighted, unpublished music.  Where do *I* sign up for $$$ from
my helpful government?  I'm a productive, healthy, law-abiding taxpaying
citizen, and ....

Anyway, getting back to the point, what I don't like is the fact that
software costs are rarely closely tied to utility.  If X small company
buys a copy of, say, Microsoft Mail's $5000 SMTP Gateway, which is
necessary if it is going to gateway *any* quantity of email through
a UNIX box, it pays the same as some large company with 100, or 1000
nodes of MS Mail that keep the gateway machine cranking day and night.
It pays the same per node of FrameMaker that it uses only occasionally 
as a company with 100 fully utilized floating license nodes does.  
Frankly it seems to me that the only sensible and affordable policy
for small businesses is piracy.  Mind you, I find that revolting.
But who to blame?

Software vendors are just not tuned in yet.

It almost happened back in the 80s with Borland.  Certainly they did
have a profound effect on some markets.  There are very few >$500
micro development platforms left these days (except for you-know-what).
It's too bad that they aren't all $100.  I'm sure that Phillippe could
still afford his room full of synthesizers even if that WERE the case
now.  (Not to be sarcastic.  He seems like quite an interesting fellow.)

What's a node of NFS worth, really?  More like $50 than $200-$400,
IMHO.  Gross margins would still be 60-90%+.  I think some companies
that manufacture actual *stuff* would be happy with that.

Less expensive software with innovative, reasonable pricing *will* be a 
reality in the coming years.  What I want to watch is the suffering
of the workstation software vendors.  Now, THAT will be something!

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