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From: jas@ISI.EDU (Jeff Sullivan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Cost Of System Software
Message-ID: <17774@venera.isi.edu>
Date: 1 May 91 17:07:06 GMT
References: <52131@apple.Apple.COM> <1991Apr30.171133.26801@...!asuvax!gtephx>
Sender: news@isi.edu
Organization: USC-ISI
Lines: 45
In-reply-to: pfluegerm@...!asuvax!gtephx's message of 30 Apr 91 17:11:33 GMT

In article <1991Apr30.171133.26801@...!asuvax!gtephx> pfluegerm@...!asuvax!gtephx (Mike Pflueger) writes:

>In article <52131@apple.Apple.COM>, bjones@Apple.COM (Bruce Jones) writes:
>
>Thus I think it is to Apple's advantage to provide "free" upgrades.

This is probably true, in some sense (as long as they keep CPU prices
up to pay for the tons of man-years they've spent on R&D).

>Certainly licensing fees must be paid from somewhere.  But this doesn't mean
>that AU/X COULDN'T be distributed like other system software has been -
>certainly it would sell LOTS of Macs if it was.

Do you real;ly think that the set of people who want to buy Macs and
the set of people who wouldn't now but would if UNIX were bundled is
at all sizeable?  If you want UNIX, there are plenty better platforms
than the Mac for less $$$.  If you want UNIX, why the hell would you
ever lean toward a Mac at all, unless you had to?  And why would you
ever want UNIX in the first place? ;-)

>So I think some people feel that they are having the rug pulled out from
>under them when they hear - JUST BEFORE THE RELEASE - that all these
>new features they've been hearing about are gonna cost some more.

As has been stated before, it appears that the software will continue
to be free, and the manuals will continue to cost, and there's nothing
new under the sun, except that this upgrade *may* be major enough to
"require" the manuals.

>I upgraded from a Plus to a IIsi about 5 months ago - in anticipation of
>7.0 - and I know that I'll be somewhat upset if I don't get a "free" copy
>of at least the software.  Since 7.0 was originally announced as scheduled
>to be released much earlier, maybe I should even get a "free" copy of the
>manuals.

Yeah, right.  Your anticipation should force them to give you the
stuff for free.  If I say I bought my Hyundai Excel with the
anticipation of the Sonata, does that mean I get one free?

jas
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey A. Sullivan		| Senior Systems Programmer
jas@venera.isi.edu		| Information Sciences Institute
jas@isi.edu                    	| University of Southern California