Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!stanford.edu!unix!mxmora From: mxmora@unix.SRI.COM (Matt Mora) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: Re: All Commercial Software Developers or Companies (pls read) Message-ID: <25729@unix.SRI.COM> Date: 24 Jun 91 18:38:20 GMT References: <56971@nigel.ee.udel.edu> Reply-To: mxmora@unix.sri.com (Matt Mora) Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA Lines: 140 In article <56971@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@minnie.me.udel.edu (Bill Johnston) writes: > >To be a bit less fair, I would also characterize them as an industry >"hit squad" who look after the interests of the big software houses. >I don't know who pays their electric bill, but I haven't heard of any >small-time developer who has kicked in $$ for SPA. Small time developers might not pay to be in SPA but ther software is included in the database to be scanned. >From the description offered by Mr. Mora, SPAudit seems to be software >tool designed to facilitate corporate software-witch-hunts. In other >words, a convenience for the person whose happy task is to skulk through >the office after hours and document the contents of everyone's hard disk >for comparison against the corporate 'master list'. That is up to the company and not to SPA. The way SPA is told about a company using illegal software is mostly from disgruntled employees finking on there previous employers. A lot of the companies that are audited are computer dealers that load up a hard disk to make a sell. >Will this put another nickel in the pocket of ANYBODY in the software >industry? The answer is no, it will not. But let's take a look at >an imaginary scenario, so we can see what is likely to happen, and who >is likely to be the beneficiary ( aside from Mr. Mora, of course ). Well for I or SRI for that matter did not get paid a cent to make this program for SPA. It was a "Public Service" donated to SPA by SRI. I think if SPA audits a company and they are found to be in the wrong, The fee is the suggested retail price of the software product * the number found. Also the cost of the product again if they want to keep it. Lets say a company bought 10 copies of Disk Doubler but is using it on 100 machines. Spaudit finds the 100 copies and the company can only prove they bought 10. 90 unlicensed copies * $69.96 = $6295.50. That would be the penalty fee that the company would pay. If they wanted to keep the software then they would pay $6295.50 to Salient software. Llyod and Terry sure would benefit then. This is just a senario, the actual settlement would of course be worked out between SPA and the companies attornees. Keep in mind that the company would probably pay any amount than to have the case brought to court. That benefits the software developer I beleive. Most cases are settled out of court because the company will not want to be known as a "Software Pirate". I don't know where the fee goes, I guess in SPA's greedy little pockets. >Yeah, that's Fred. He doesn't like Macs, and he hates answering >questions about them. (He doesn't get many ... because "Macs aren't >for experts, anyway"). But over Fred's objections some misguided >upper-management type approved the purchase of a few Macs, and things >are getting out of hand. People like these machines, and they like to >do things in their own way. Why, just last week he had to fix an >AppleTalk problem over in Publications and he noticed that somebody's >disk was full of files whose name ended in ".cpt". A few people were The company should get rid of Fred but that's another subject. >Well, Mr. Mora, I think we just found you a customer. Again, SPAudit is free. >Fred buys SPAudit and a few weeks later everybody gets a memo >from Fred's boss announcing that from now on the "approved" >software list will be enforced; "flagrant offenders" like Nancy >(who didn't even know what was in her Public folder) get a list >of the illicit software that was found on her machine which BELONGS >to XYZ, Inc.... along with a stern warning not to let it happen again. SPA can't do anything about company policies. Companies can run there business any way they want. They shouldn't use illegally obtained software though. >Notice what Fred didn't do: >1) He didn't offer to help the person with the hard disk full of >".cpt" files to get a purchase order approved so that XYZ Corp. >could continue to use Bill Goodman's "Compact Pro" legitimately. Well for one, SPAudit doesn't scan for shareware. And your are going to love this, SPAudit will have the capablility to scan INSIDE archives.(a future version) (i.e Disk Doubler,Compactor and Stuffit) Spaudit does not look at files to see what made them and then determine that they must be using 'xyz' because that's the creator signature of the file. It looks for the type APPL and then see if its sig is in the database. Also, if Nancy uses Compactor then either she (or her company) should pay Bill or don't use his software. Its that simple. >2) He didn't offer to buy a work-copy of WriteNow for the office >heretic who doesn't like MS Word. (They won't even listen to his >protest that he bought the software himself; it's NOT ON THE LIST!) Our Auditors at SRI will take any of the three forms of proof-of-purchase. Orignal disk(s),Original Manual(s) or a purchase order/petty cash receipt. Any of the three qualify as proof. If the company policy is to use word then the office heretic should use word or find other employment. Again this has nothing to do with Spaudit. >3) He didn't bother to find out that Nancy's "Public Folder" >network was freeware and full of other perfectly legitimate and >useful public domain software. Spaudit ingores shareware and freeware so Fred would never know that the software is on Nancy's hard disk. >So, who benefits from SPAudit ... besides Mr. Mora? Could it be >the companies who front the money for SPA? The ones who are on >"THE LIST"? I think you know the answer ... Software developers will benefit. Even the little guy. Unfortunatly I will not benefit unless the Software developers are SO happy that SPAudit is finding their software, they will shower me with gratitude checks. :-) Matt -- ___________________________________________________________ Matthew Mora | my Mac Matt_Mora@sri.com SRI International | my unix mxmora@unix.sri.com ___________________________________________________________