Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!ucbvax!ulysses!ulysses.att.com!mas
From: mas@ulysses.att.com (Michael A. Schoen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Software piracy
Summary: PROFIT!!!!!!
Message-ID: <13131@ulysses.att.com>
Date: 15 Jun 90 13:55:47 GMT
References: <56447.2673B586@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG> <1990Jun14.070422.17363@lth.se> <331@caslon.cs.arizona.edu>
Sender: netnews@ulysses.att.com
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 26

Look, lets settle this once and for all.

Software prices are not related (directly) to development costs.
The are NOT DIRECTLY RELATED.  Prices are set at the highest price
they can make the most profit on.  When development starts, the
company makes an estimate of the ideal price and development costs -
if the costs are estimated to be more than the optimum price, the
product is never made.  THis is the only relation between costs
and the final price.

Software is no different than any other business.  Ford prices its
cars to make the most money.  A Mustang does not cost Ford 15K
to make, but they figure at that price they will make the most money.

Should we all go out now and steal Fords for trying to make a profit.
I think not.  So don't steal software.

If you don't have the money to buy commercial software, use shareware/
freeware.  At least for the Mac, the quality of such programs is
fairly high.


Michael A. Schoen
AT&T Bell Laboratories   <-- provided for identification only

mas@ulysses.att.com