Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!know!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!midway!news From: gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: ROMs (was Apple = avarice ??) Message-ID: <1990Sep28.045314.17528@midway.uchicago.edu> Date: 28 Sep 90 05:46:22 GMT Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator) Distribution: comp Organization: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Lines: 52 ------- In article <1990Sep27.200237.4963@unmvax.cs.unm.edu>, ctm@tingley.cs.unm.edu (Clifford T. Matthews) writes... >In article , gow@sakari.mrceg (Ed Gow) writes: >|> >|> |> >NO MORE ROM-MATES. Not to be outdone by IBM, Apple Computer >first bought >|> >Outbound's laptop technology and licensed it back to the Colorado >|> >lap-Mac maker, and now they've deliberately shut down the legal suppy >|> >of Mac ROMs for these and other machines. >|> > As of September 15, Apple stopped selling Mac ROMs to anyone, unless they >|> >are in exchange for a "broken" set. Previously, Apple dealers and service >|> >centers could buy as many ROMs as they liked at $120 per set, but too many >|> >were ending up in Outbounds and in Mac emulators for other computers." >|> >|> My question is this, how does the Mac buying public feel about this >|> sort of business practice? Personally I feel like, to put it bluntly, >|> they've been bending us over and now they're sticking it to us. Since >|> there are now many other good GUIs coming out (in spite of Apple >|> lawyers' best efforts) can they afford this? >|> >|> -Ed As a member of the Mac buying public I feel just fine about Apple protecting distribution of their ROMs. After all, they develop and manufacture them, and have every right to protect their investment. As you correctly point out, there are other good -- though in my opinion inferior -- GUI's out on the market. You are perfectly free to purchase them, and with the exception of Windows/New Wave Apple is doing absolutely nothing to hinder anyone's ability to exercise their free market prerogative (I don't want to get into Windows vs. Apple right now; in all likelihood Windows would have avoided the lawsuit had they been slightly more original, like Next, etc.). If you don't want to buy Apple, fine. But it's unreasonable to expect them to develop the ROMs and then let you put them in another computer. Why should they? It's Apple's duty to protect the future of the company. I don't think this should be at the expense of loyal customers, but I have no problems with them stopping the illegal distribution of ROMS. Remember: communism didn't work. Robert ============================================================================ = gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to = = * all my opinions are * compute" = = * mine * -Kraftwerk = ============================================================================