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From: brian@umbc3.UMBC.EDU (Brian Cuthie)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aux,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: FLAME Concerning Apple's pricing of A/UX 2.0.
Message-ID: <3388@umbc3.UMBC.EDU>
Date: 5 Jun 90 00:34:35 GMT
References: <1990Jun1.185845.24189@ox.com> <2669D0E0.340B@intercon.com>
Reply-To: brian@umbc3.umbc.edu.UMBC.EDU (Brian Cuthie)
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Lines: 36

In article <2669D0E0.340B@intercon.com> amanda@mermaid.intercon.com (Amanda Walker) writes:
>In article <1990Jun1.185845.24189@ox.com>, time@ox.com (Tim Endres) writes:
>> Apple, once again, has a marketing department with its head up
>> its collective asshole! Their recent pricing of A/UX 2.0 is an
>> obvious gouge, attempting to recoup development efforts.
>
>So what would you suggest?  Raising the price of everything else in order
>to subsidize A/UX users?  A LOT of time and money has gone into A/UX.  Apple
>has to pay for it somehow... Development time doesn't grow on trees.
>...

Actually, I must disagree.  Product pricing is a *marketing* decision. *Not*
a cost accounting problem.  Apple could more than repay the porting costs
for A/UX by unbundling the product. I happen to agree with the original poster
that few people are going to find it cost effective to build UNIX based
products for the Mac.

Admittedly, A/UX is probably the best UNIX I have used. The finder works
quite well, and you can actually do Mac development.  If your Mac program
bombs into MacsBug, UNIX is still running, you've only crashed the finder
process. Obviously this is the way it should be, but Apple could have
botched it.

Also, the networking support appears to be real good.  Their implimentation 
of SLIP is fairly complete.

>Lastly, if your product is really so revolutionary, talk to Apple.  They
>are desperate for unique, sexy A/UX products... Apply some market pressure...

GOOD LUCK!  I have been beating on several evangelists for some info for
a product that they claim to be excited about for more than six months.  No info
yet.  But, I just read that a competitor already has it.  Figures...

-Brian

brian@beerwolf.umd.edu