Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!turnkey!orchard.la.locus.com!prodnet.la.locus.com!jfr
From: jfr@locus.com (Jon Rosen)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: selling old Borland software
Message-ID: <20588@oolong.la.locus.com>
Date: 14 Dec 90 01:14:22 GMT
References: <25254@adm.brl.mil>
Organization: Locus Computing Corp, Los Angeles
Lines: 45

In article <25254@adm.brl.mil> CDCKAB%EMUVM1.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu ( Karl Brendel) writes:
>In article 4959@dogie.macc.wisc.edu, pschwart@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Paul
> Schwartz) writes:
>
>>In article <25246@adm.brl.mil>, CDCKAB%EMUVM1.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu ( Karl
>> Brendel) writes...
>>>
>>>       Bunch of stuff about  Borland's No-Nonsense License Statement!
>>>
>>>

I don't know who Vince is but you are missing a few key elements...
 
First, does George Bush (of your story) now have the right to upgrade
his newly acquired used version of Turbo 5.5 to T6.0??? If so, it would
seem that ANYONE could get the upgrade price just by passing around the
one copy of Turbo 5.5 that exists... This is clearly not what Borland
would intend to have happen... Second, as noted in an earlier post, you
can't *upgrade* a book... You buy a later version... Usually at full
list (or slightly discounted) price... The problem in the software
industry is that the original manufacturer provides the upgrade path 
and that tends to compete with the manufacturer's distributors (ala
Egghead software, etc.)... Since upgrades in software usually cost
LESS than the original (sometimes, much less) there is a real conflict
here.  Another point, if a *free* upgrade offer is made to purchasers
of a given version like T5.5 within 30 days of purchase, would it now
be possible for George Bush to buy his copy from Reagan for $1, call
Borland for his free upgrade, sell his T5.5 to Dan Quayle for $1 who
would also call Borland for his free upgrade... ad nauseum...
 
Anyway, even if Borland does intend for all of the above to be 
possible (which I doubt), the obvious intent is to restrict 
the use of software to one person (including most upgrades)...
 
By the way, given the available street price of most software these
days (not list... if you pay list, I have a bridge to sell you)
is so low that the upgrades don't cost much less than the original.
In that case, I suggest buying a new copy (not an upgrade) and
selling the original with a clear conscience... Or, better yet, 
if you are philathropical, donate it to your local school or
charitable organization that has a PC and write it off your 
income taxes... Yeah, that's the ticket, make Uncle Sam pay for
some of your software... you're paying for his...
 
Jon R