Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!usc!bloom-beacon!GROUCH.JPL.NASA.GOV!PJS
From: PJS@GROUCH.JPL.NASA.GOV (Peter Scott)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: What is that MOTIF thang on expo?!
Message-ID: <890822101242.00000FAF103@grouch.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Date: 22 Aug 89 18:12:42 GMT
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 20

Tom Crockett <tom@icase.edu> writes:

>But seriously, I think that if workstation software prices were cut from about
>$1000 (that seems to be a popular figure these days) to about $100 or less, the
>number of copies sold would more than make up the difference in price.
>
>Given the quantity and improving quality of free software, it's very hard to
>justify spending $1000 on a package if there's any other way at all of getting
>the job done.

Have you guys seen software prices for even slightly larger computers lately?
The DEC catalog lists several *single* software items for larger-end Vaxen
costing over $100,000 (*without* source, I believe).

Considering the man-power it takes to develop a decent piece of software (as
opposed to a spare-time effort that requires an army of propellor-heads to
maintain it at your site), $1000 is nothing - there are programs for PCs that 
cost that much! 

Peter Scott  (pjs@grouch.jpl.nasa.gov)