Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
From: greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.applications
Subject: Re: Help converting Kick2.0 for A2000
Message-ID: <47557@ut-emx.uucp>
Date: 20 Apr 91 20:12:55 GMT
References: <47416@ut-emx.uucp> <4yXN17w164w@graphics.rent.com>
Sender: news@ut-emx.uucp
Reply-To: greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp)
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin
Lines: 42

In article <4yXN17w164w@graphics.rent.com> bobl@graphics.rent.com 
  (Bob Lindabury - SysAdm) writes:
>greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp) writes:
>
>> BTW, interpret this as a MAJOR flaming of all possessors of PIRATE copies of
>> beta releases of 2.0.  How could someone undermine the efforts of the company
>> they are depending on to continue to support them?
>
>Huh?  I don't really see the harm in a few people having "pirate"
>copies of WB 2.0.  In fact, I imagine that these versions were
>intentionlly leaked to allow more people to beta-test the software
>prior to burning the chips.

Why would C= intentionally leak copies of the OS?  More testers doesn't
outweigh the problems with multiple betas of the OS in use.  Many people would
continue to use the soft copies instead of ungrading, and when software broke
they would blame C=.

>Just how is someone runing WB 2.0 going to undermine Commodore?
>After all, Apple gives away free OS updates for thier computers as
>far as I know.  I've never had to pay for an OS upgrade on my Mac or
>Apple //.   Previous updates for Workbench have also been free.  The
>only cost was in the ROM chip.

Upgrades to the Workbench have been free.  Kickstart upgrades (disk or ROM)
have not been.  Apple isn't going to pass out ROMs for their machines for free
either.  In fact I'm sure any A-Max owner would be glad to tell you how much
he/she paid for just a simple ROM.

>Surely Commodore doesn't expect to make its profits from selling
>Kickstart 2.0 ROM chips.

Of course not.  Profit isn't the problem.  It's legal ownership of an
up-to-date version of the OS that concerns them.  For the same reason software
companies have to have a license to distribute their software with a Workbench
disk.

-- 
       Greg Harp       |"How I wish, how I wish you were here.  We're just two
                       |lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year,
greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu|running over the same ground.  What have we found?
  s609@cs.utexas.edu   |The same old fears.  Wish you were here." - Pink Floyd