Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!milo.mcs.anl.gov!midway!news From: gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Boycott 68040 upgrades that include Lotus Improv Message-ID: <1990Oct31.020635.5916@midway.uchicago.edu> Date: 31 Oct 90 02:00:00 GMT Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator) Organization: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Lines: 39 -------- In article <1990Oct31.012615.19372@daffy.cs.wisc.edu>, gcarter@globey.cs.wisc.edu (Gregory Carter) writes... >I think the key to the Lotus fiasco is the point that, we as software >designers MUST use reusable materials to be able to economically produce >software. You cannot do this within the copyright system. Its impossible. >Either licensing fees will kill you or the legal fondu will surely make it >impossible to make a profit. > Then how is Next doing it? I mean, they've created something brand new, and no one's suing them for it (yes, Apple did sue Jobs years ago, but that had a lot to do with the fact that Jobs came from Apple and took people and knowledge with him). Regardless of Next's success, if your claim is that you have to use other people's copyrighted work to create new and useful products, then I would say that you may have difficulty in your software creation in the future. > >I am still an undergrad, and I have been having second thoughts about >writing software for money hungry grubbing people like Lotus or anyone else >I may end up working for. Or money hungry people like Apple. Or Next. Or the corner grocer. Ultimately everyone's after the money. Some companies may be "nicer" than others. But remember: Lotus is NOT suing all spreadsheet makers (they couldn't anyway), merely a product which sought to capitalize on Lotus' success by copying Lotus 123 exactly and billing it as a replacement for 123. If that troubles you, then I suggest that you are going to have difficulty in the business world. Robert ============================================================================ = gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to = = * all my opinions are * compute" = = * mine * -Kraftwerk = ============================================================================