Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!umich!iuvax!silver!jkain From: jkain@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Jeff Kain) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Wanting to snub Emulators Message-ID: Date: 27 Oct 90 21:07:47 GMT References: <1990Oct27.190254.8511@cpsc.ucalgary.ca> Sender: news@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu Lines: 62 wieser@cs-sun-fsa.cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Bernhard Wieser) writes: >"Jealous"? Not at all. Infact, such a statement is kind of stupid. >When I write software, I write it for a specific platform. Think about it, >running software on a machine it wasn't designed for is a little like >piracy. No, Bernhard, nearly all of the points you make are far more stupid. Emulators do not pirate the software packages they run. If the piece of software running on a machine is purchased and properly licensed, it is legal regardless of which machine is carrying out its instructions. >1)Many software licenses state that the licensee is not allowed to >transmit or translate the software in any form. Isn't an emulator >synonymous with the words 'translate' or 'copy'? Your software is not being translated. The instruction set of the machine being emulated is being translated. If your point were valid, then all software would break its own license, since every machine "translates" machine code into something tangible and useful to the user of the package. >2)Let's say I wrote a wonderful cad/cam package for various machines. >I spent resources to support my software on multiple >machines, using the strengths of each. So Joe user, who might have >both an Amiga and a Mac has no reason to support me and my >efforts if they have an emulator. "Joe User" can support anyone he wants. It's his money. He's giving it to you. Be happy about it. >3)When I write software, I do so on a machine which supports the task > well. If I don't write it for the Amiga, I may not want it running on the >Amiga. Software supports the machine it was written for. >Why should I (the developer) support users who don't support me? By buying your package, he is supporting you! People don't support software authors (directly) by their choice of hardware platforms! If someone pays tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars for a service I provide, I feel that my obligation is to do my best to ensure that this person will be happy enough to do it again someday. >Emulation can kill good ideas by stealing markets; >it doesn't really create them, does it? Emulation doesn't "steal" markets - it provides competition. Emulation creates a market for better emulators. Which provides even better competition. Comments?? Anyone?? Jeff Kain -- "Quoth the raven, 'Eat my shorts!'" -Edgar Allen Poe / Bart Simpson "We create a leader by locating one in the crowd who is standing up. [...] We designate this victim as a 'stand-up guy' by the simple expedient of sitting down around him." -Arturo Binewski