Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!husc6!m2c!umvlsi!dime!leban
From: leban@cs.umass.edu (Bruce Leban)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Upgrade Paths
Message-ID: <18088@dime.cs.umass.edu>
Date: 7 Aug 90 21:03:03 GMT
Sender: news@dime.cs.umass.edu
Reply-To: leban@cs.umass.edu (Bruce Leban)
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Lines: 81

Former Subject: After Dark 2.0 - any news?

isle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Ken Hancock) writes:

KH> Now I'm going to have to pay $15 (70% of purchase price) for version 2.0.
KH> So, now I'm getting to pay $37 for the same package that will still cost
KH> $22 from MacConnection.

chuq@apple.com (Chuq Von Rospach) writes:

CVR> what is the *value* of having it for the period between "now" and
CVR> "later"? If it's zero, then why are you bothering to use the product?
CVR> 
CVR> Remember, you're USING the product while waiting for the upgrade. That use
CVR> is returning some of the value that you paid for it. Sure, you could have
CVR> waited. But what would that have cost you elsewhere?

bruce@sim.uucp (Bruce Burkhalter) writes:

BB> The other problem is the upgrade price. If we make the upgrade price
BB> any lower we are virtually giving it away to all registered users.
BB> It costs a couple of bucks just to mail it.

Of course, the upgrade is worth something.  But consider the typical case
where the new program adds 20% more features (as if it were possible to
quantify this (:-)).  I already own most of the program I'm buying, yet I
frequently have to pay more than 20% to upgrade it.

Here's my five point plan for reducing software piracy:

1) Whenever the software is first installed on a disk, the user must enter
   both a serial number and an authentication code (the authentication code
   could be information from the manual instead).  Anyone wishing to pirate
   software must have both of these.  This would make it much more difficult
   for anyone to pirate my copy of a software package without my consent,
   assuming I stash the master disk with the serial number someplace secure
   (in the manual authentication case, they would need to take the manual
   with them).  [Developer Note: if you don't know how to do this, I'll tell
   you how for a free copy of your product.]

2) The software AUTOMATICALLY becomes a demo version if it is not installed
   with the correct authentication code.  The software would be be disabled
   in a way that didn't affect the ability of the user to see how the program
   worked.  For After Dark, it could be set so that only the "Demo" button in
   the control panel worked.  For a word processor, it could be set so that
   it could only print one page at a time.

3) Software companies can provide intermediate upgrades at effectively no
   cost to themselves by providing special upgrade programs through standard
   distribution channels (as done by Symantec). The upgrade program will only
   work if you have the previous version. It would be easy for users groups
   to sell disks with many upgrade programs from different manufacturers at
   low cost.

4) Any version which fixes significant bugs in the previous version should be
   by definition an intermediate update, even if it adds new functionality.
   Despite the standard disclaimer that the software doesn't actually DO
   anything, the customers still didn't get what they paid for if there are
   signficant bugs.

5) Major upgrades (adding major new functionality and increased price) should
   be sold at costs which take into account the amount of increased
   functionality and prevailing discount prices.  $200 upgrades to $300
   packages are a joke.

In the specific case of After Dark 2.0, it sounds like this is really two
upgrades: the changes to the driver and the new modules.  The driver could be
provided as a no cost (on both sides) upgrade.  The changes to the driver
alone probably do not constitute a major upgrade.

The new modules could be sold as a separate upgrade package (which would of
course include the driver upgrade on the same disk).

At least that's what I think....
	--- Bruce
	Leban@cs.umass.edu  @amherst.mass.usa.earth



	--- Bruce
	Leban@cs.umass.edu  @amherst.mass.usa.earth