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From: wayneck@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Wayne Knapp)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software theives
Message-ID: <4729@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM>
Date: 28 Aug 89 18:12:22 GMT
References: <30706@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <6846@rpi.edu> <6932@rpi.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.
Lines: 46

In article <6932@rpi.edu>, kudla@pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes:
> In article <574@halley.UUCP> san@halley.UUCP (Steve Sanderson) writes:
> 
>    Well... after finding out that our product was stolen/copied illegally much
>    more than it was sold, it really hurt me. 
> 
> Two things:
> 
> One, did you have a software house publish it? If so, would you have
> still been hurt had those who copied it paid you your cut (which,
> assuming a $50 product and a 5% commission, would have been $2.50)?
  
I don't know of anyone that pays commissions on the List price of software.
From what I've seem, most people get 10-15% of the gross profits.  This
is one reason why pirates can hurt so much, because the second thousand
copies of a program are a lot cheaper than the first thousand to produce.
There are a lot of startup cost that make programs expensive to get to
the market.   

> Two, did you do well despite the pirates? If so, what you felt was not
> hurt but greed. If not, I'd say you probably wrote an inferior
> product. A vast majority of Amigans I know with liquid assets are more
> than willing to purchase what they hear and see is a decent product.

If you ask me it is the pirates that are greedly.  They are taking using
programs without paying for it.  They don't have to use the programs, no
one is forcing them to.  I don't care if they wouldn't have paid for the
program in the first place, if they want the program they should buy it.

Anyway what burns me up is this "inferior product" nonsense!  If the 
program is so inferior why do people copy it in the first place.  Also
I would bet that most of the people complaining about programs are not
ones that can get a program out to market.  It is very hard to produce
great code, often it takes a lot of time and effort to correct all the
problems in a large program.  Being a hacker doesn't make one a good 
programmer! 

I for one am getting fed up with the attitude being presented here.  At
least some respect should be shown for the people trying to get programs
out for the Amiga.  The Amiga market is small enough that at least the
programers should be respected for thier efforts.  Besides what is wrong
about wanting to make a living off of your work, and maybe even getting
rich if your work is good enough!  Isn't that part of the freedom, hope
and dreams that America is all about?

                            Wayne Knapp