Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uunet!crdgw1!galaxy
From: perley@galaxy (Donald P Perley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: VPI Selects Commodore For Unix Platform
Message-ID: <11413@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: 29 Aug 90 19:59:06 GMT
References: <4083@crash.cts.com> <13985@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com
Reply-To: perley@galaxy (Donald P Perley)
Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY 12345
Lines: 33
In-reply-to: diamond@cbmvax.commodore.com (Howard Diamond - Ed Marketing)

In article <13985@cbmvax.commodore.com>, diamond@cbmvax (Howard Diamond - Ed Marketing) writes:
>In article <4083@crash.cts.com> vle@pnet01.cts.com (Vinh Le) writes:
>>Will other university students be offered systems similar to the ones offered
>>at VPI?  At around the same price?  Do these systems also run AmigaDOS 2.0, or
>>are they strictly UNIX?
>
> What we have said is that the deal with VPI is special,
>and relates to:
>
>1) Them making a significant committment to Commodore, even though the product
>was still in beta....and
>
>2) The fact that they REQUIRE all their incoming students (in CS) to purchase.

I don't know if this was part of the deal or not, but I know that the 
supplier in this type of deal can give a better price if there is an agreement
that the sponsoring organization (VPI in this case) will supply at least
the first line of support (and maybe more, like a repair center).

If that IS part of the deal, then you can expect a higher price for the
general educational market (in addition to the considerations Howard
Diamond listed).  Special deals aren't special if everyone gets them.

On the other hand, time is the great equalizer when it comes to
computer prices....  so if you wait long enough, you CAN get a unix
3000 for the $3700 price.  By that time you will be slobbering over
something else.

Is any CS department requiring sudents to buy a lisp machine?

-don perley

perley@trub.crd.ge.com