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From: geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: UUCP and NEWS on the Mac
Message-ID: <1990Oct19.205526.19190@pmafire.UUCP>
Date: 19 Oct 90 20:55:26 GMT
References: <9350002@hp-ptp.HP.COM> <1990Oct11.202517.23699@oswego.Oswego.EDU> <3433@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.comm
Organization: WINCO Computer Engineering, INEL, Idaho
Lines: 47

Crossposting to comp.sys.mac.comm, followups directed there.

The product announcement for uAccess said (in part):
|This is a product announcement for ICE Engieering's new uAccess.
|
|The list price for uAccess is $375.
|ICE is offering the product directly for $275 until Nov 15.

And vnend@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (D. W. James) responded:
>	Well, in spite of the glowing comments I've heard from some
>of the Beta testers, I doubt that I'll be getting it.

Same here.  As I recall, when Tim asked for beta testers for this, he
also asked if he should release it as shareware or very cheap commercial
product (like, $20).  Response was such that people wanted support from
him, even if it meant paying more.  I was expecting something along
these lines, but $300 (discounted)?  No thanks!

>	Look at it this way:  If I want news on my Mac (I already have
>mail.  All that took was the time to FTP it and tinker a bit.  I'll
>be looking at the GNU port soon as well.  Both are free and come with 
>source.) and I have much more than a Plus, then for less than $100
>more than ICE wants for uAccess I can have AUX or one of the Mach ports,
>which gives me access to mail and news as well as a host of other things.
>(Note: I tend to think in terms of University pricing because I can.)

I've been wondering about Minix.  If Minix can run uucp, news and mail,
then that's definitely the cost-conscious way to go. 

>	Now, I'm a fairly knowledgable user, so I'm not afraid of 
>programs I can't just plug and play, but I know a lot of people who
>will only use stuff they can use as a package.  Is there a market
>amoungst this type of user for a mail/news link?  I guess ICE is 
>betting that there is, and that they are a well-heeled bunch as well.
>The communications I've had with them (ok, Tim is the only one.  Is he
>the only person there?) gives me the impression that they are nice
>folks, and for that reason alone I wish them luck.  But I don't think
>I can afford to patronize them...

Yeah.  Seems to me that there's a *much* smaller market for this than
for, say, CompuServe Navigator, and I doubt how many copies of Navigator
you'd sell at $395 list.

-- 
Geoff Allen         \  Computers are useless.  
uunet!pmafire!geoff  \  They can only give you answers.
bigtex!pmafire!geoff  \		-- Pablo Picasso