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From: bbadger@x102c.harris-atd.com (Badger BA 64810)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: Copywrongs
Message-ID: <2602@trantor.harris-atd.com>
Date: 25 Aug 89 00:35:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: trantor.2602
References: <11143@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <8908182307.AA11856@nlp9> <12440@s.ms.uky.edu> <2574@trantor.harris-atd.com> <10512@claris.com>
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Reply-To: bbadger@x102c.harris-atd.com (Badger BA 64810)
Organization: Harris GISD, Melbourne, FL
Lines: 43

In article <10512@claris.com> peirce@claris.com (Michael Peirce) writes:
>In article <2574@trantor.harris-atd.com> bbadger@x102c.harris-atd.com (Badger BA 64810) writes:
>>Except for the usual one:  obscene profits!   What incentive is there to 
>>stop?  Of course, in a market economy, we hope that someone just a little 
>>less greedy will step in and produce a similar product at a lower cost.
>>
>
>People don't introduce lower cost products because they are morally superiour
>to their competition (your "less greedy"), they do it because they think they
>can take away sales from their competition and make a profit themselves.
>
>And tell me, what is an "obscene profit"?  What you think is an obscene profit
>might be a tidy profit for my effort.  So should the State decide?
>
>-- michael peirce, for profit software developer

Yes, well, I just meant that some will not charge as much as others.  
I used the phrase ``a little less greedy'' in a sloppy manner to be 
provocative.  What I meant to provoke was some thought on how you 
determine what ``fair'' profits are.  In fact, you are right, in that 
those who produce ``knock-off'' products at cheap prices to undercut 
the original product certainly cannot claim by this fact alone 
to be ``less greedy'' or morally superior.  
I'm sorry for this imprecision.

So!  Do we have any interesting ideas on pricing?  What's fair?  _Can_ 
capitalism be fair?  Can Steven Jobs,  Bill Gates,  Malcolm Forbes or 
Cher  possibly be _worth_ their [mb]illions?  (Just examles, not picking
on anyone in particular.)  Why not?

I think that software prices are inflated to beyond what the market will 
bear.  I think FSF will have a healthy influence, by forcing the
market to respond with cheaper and better software.  






Bernard A. Badger Jr.	407/984-6385          |``Use the Source, Luke!''
Secure Computer Products                      |``Get a LIFE!''  -- J.H. Conway
Harris GISD, Melbourne, FL  32902             |Buddy, can you paradigm?
Internet: bbadger%x102c@trantor.harris-atd.com|'s/./&&/g' Tom sed expansively.