Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf.edu!wet!logic
From: logic@wet.UUCP (Henry Kwan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: No more Cinemaware stuff for Amiga !!!????
Message-ID: <322@wet.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jul 89 08:22:55 GMT
References: <268@nrcvax.NRC.COM> <30140@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <4929@alvin.mcnc.org> <306@wet.UUCP> <1436@aws.cme.nbs.gov>
Reply-To: logic@wet.UUCP (Henry Kwan)
Organization: Wetware Diversions, San Francisco
Lines: 51

In article <1436@aws.cme.nbs.gov> durham@cme.nbs.gov (James H. Durham) writes:
>
>This really isn't necessarily true.  I have owned both Amiga and Atari ST
>computer systems I know for a fact (although I can't offer evidence) that
                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>piracy is much more rampant on the atari than it is on the Amiga, and I think
>it stems from where the first Amiga and Atari ST users were coming from.

Ummm...  What kind of fact is that?  If you can't offer any evidence, why
are you coming out and proclaiming that piracy on the ST is running amok?

>When the Amiga came out, more "respectable" computer users seemed to be buying
>it, and that's why better software  was written for it, because of this
>slightly more professional group.  This "image" of the Amiga produced (in my
>eyes) somewhat of a snobbishness among Amiga owners... that their machine was 
>better.  This aside, the Amiga costed more and was geared for a more
>sophisticated market than the ST initially... remember the Amiga used to be
>a "business machine?"  Well, the lack of this image on the Atari was the 
>breeding ground for hackers:  The cost was right, and the machine was baginning
>to be considered a mere "game machine."  

Since most of the above is opinion, I'll decline to comment on it.  I've
seen enough "ST vs. Amiga" wars to last me ten lifetimes.  Hence, to say
that I have no desire to start one here on comp.sys.amiga is an
understatement, to say the least.

>
>Summarily, I'm not saying that piracy on the Amiga is less than on other
>machines, bacuse it isn't, but I AM saying that piracy on the ST is unusually
>high...  Oh well, just the lone thoughts of this programmer... any friendly
>"counter-thoughts?"
> 

Perhaps you can offer figures to backup your statement that piracy on the ST
is substantially higher than on other platforms.  Perhaps sales figures
comparing the ST to the other machines (such as Amiga) on per capita basis
instead of sheer gross volume since by a lot of accounts, the vast majority
of ST's are in Europe instead of the United States.

Sidenote:  I am also curious as to the state of shareware on the various
platforms.  IMHO, the MS*DOS market seems to be leading the pack with
several products hauling in some substantial bucks (i.e. PC-Write, Procomm,
PKArc, etc.)  Has anyone made a survey of shareware authors to see how many
people have actually sent in the fee as compared to the estimated number of
copies being used?

-- 
           Henry Kwan / FWB, Inc.         |  What The ST Needs:
     claris!wet!logic@ames.arc.nasa.gov   |  A) 50 Mhz 68030/68882
    cca.ucsf.edu!wet!logic@cgl.ucsf.edu   |  B) 1280x960x32 graphics
  {claris,ucsfcca,hoptoad,lamc}!wet!logic |  C) 32-voice, stereo sound