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From: ignatz@ihuxx.UUCP (Dave Ihnat, Chicago, IL)
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.micro
Subject: Re: Software Piracy
Message-ID: <704@ihuxx.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Mar-84 13:33:46 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxx.704
Posted: Wed Mar 28 13:33:46 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Mar-84 00:15:08 EST
References: <504@mprvaxa.UUCP> <804@ihuxq.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 51

This is a very sore point with me.  I *will not* steal software--and
Ghod knows of the temptations in this business, with wildly
over-inflated prices and poor customer relations.  But some people
are starting to operate quite intelligently; here are some real-life,
current examples:

MicroSolutions, of DeKalb, IL markets a program called Uniform.  It's
a CP/M program to provide diskette formatting and interchange
capabilities for a wide range of computers.  Originally marketed at
$49.95, the price was perfect; but it 'featured' an elaborate copy
protection scheme that rendered the master copy good ONLY for making
two (count 'em--2) copies of the program.  These diskettes could not
be copied, and the master couldn't be executed.  If those disks ever
went bad, you had to send in the master to be re-genned, for a $10.00
fee.  This led to two things--first, my losing a night of sleep to
figure out their scheme (I did), and secondly, scads of complaints to
MicroSolutions.  In an amazing burst of reason, they re-issued an
improved version of the program, without the obnoxious copy
protection.  (Unfortunately, shortly after the re-release the price
climbed to $69.95, but it's still just within the reach of a
reasonable price.)

J. G. Communications, of Tucson, AZ markets a hardware real-time clock
for the Osborne 1; along with the hardware is a decent set of utility
programs.  They will sell the source to these programs--on a floppy,
with documentation--for $12.00; the object comes free with the clock.
Rationale?  As the author told me, "They can have the source.  I'll
have something better out before they can."  Makes bug fixes and
reports much easier.

I'm afraid I'll have to withhold the name of the company, and the
product, for this last one;  I haven't asked the person involved if
they want full details popularly known on this deal.  But suffice to
say that the author of a quite popular 'C' compiler, who is a friend
of mine, discovered that I am doing some work on a Zenith Z-100, but
the people who bought the machine aren't going to shell out the
$300-$400 such a compiler costs.  He *gave* me a current copy of his
system, with only the constraint that I not further distribute it.
Purpose?  He wants me to work with it, get to know it, and recommend
it.  (I just don't know if he wants people to know about the
freebie.)  If this product ran on my z80-based machine, you'd better
damn well believe *I'd* shell out the cash, after working with it; and
at least one client has ordered the system, because of my recommendation.

Purpose of this (much longer than I intended) article?  To show that
all is not darkness on the software market, and, frankly, to spread
the name of those companies that are making some effort to work with
consumers, instead of against them.

			Dave Ihnat
			ihuxx!ignatz