Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!faatcrl!jprad From: jprad@faatcrl.UUCP (Jack Radigan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: An issue for the entire Amiga Community. Message-ID: <1406@faatcrl.UUCP> Date: 27 May 90 18:02:52 GMT References: <1990May17.001308.29541@csmil.umich.edu> <136089@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <11747@cbmvax.commodore.com> <136118@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <1401@faatcrl.UUCP> <508@oregon.oacis.org> Organization: FAA Technical Center, Atlantic City NJ Lines: 49 jmeissen@oregon.oacis.org (John Meissen) writes: >C'mon, now. When was the last time a car company dropped prices? Or when >was the last time you paid $.25 for a paperback book? The only industry that >this has been true for is the computer industry. And just because you can't >see beyond today's prices doesn't mean it isn't also true for software. Six >years ago a quality C compiler cost over $500. Ditto for almost anything >worth buying. Actually, most all of the consumer electronics industry experiences each new generation of an existing product to be higher in quality, more features and at a lower price. It is only when a radically new technology product first appears that it is high in cost, as the product matures, it drops in price. The car industry has to contend with the costs of retooling each year for even the most trival changes in body style. Moreover, they have to constantly expend major capital for researh in reducing emissions and increasing mpg ratings in order to meet federal quotas that become stricter with each passing year. The car mechanic of today not only requires the ability to turn a wrench, he needs a substantial amount of training in combustion theory and electronics just to keep his/her job. >Computer hardware manufacturers also don't provide free support (beyond an >initial warranty period) or free (or even periodic) updates. And they >can amortize the costs over many years. Totally false. Most major applications today require you to pay for support beyond the initial purchase period. Ditto for each major upgrade. >...other than labor costs, manufacturing and distribution expenses, >marketing and promotion expenses, support costs, facilities expenses, >retail mark-up,....... What labor costs? Duplicating disks is labor intensive? Manufacturing? A box and manual is not the same thing as building a car. The bottom line is that there are so many hands grabbing a piece of the pie from the originating author to the end user is why software costs as much as it does. Can you honestly admit that most software has "value" that corrosponds to its cost? >That "scum" paid my salary for many years. I think if you were in the position >of having to make a living by producing and selling software you would change >your tune very quickly indeed. At least now we know why you feel as you do, no biggie. And yes, I would certainly like to make a living writing and selling software. JR-Comm may give me that chance, but not if that means having to overprice it. -jack-