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From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Gega-Updating; Talking about the New Half gegabyte ROM...CD vs LASER
Message-ID: <603@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-May-84 14:00:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.603
Posted: Tue May 15 14:00:29 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 16-May-84 04:32:37 EDT
References: <1072@qubix.UUCP> <- intentionally left blank to get "them" to fix it
Organization: Comp. Center, Univ. of Texas at Austin
Lines: 70

forget physical deterioration, but imagine the frequency with which a
software error or upgrade to one of those "many programs" or "useful data
files requires replacing the whole disk .....

I, for one, do not cherish the idea of having to buy a new disk every few
weeks, just to stay updated.  Maybe a point could be made, that it should
be possible to live without updating for a very long time.  Certainly true
in some program cases - I still use MODEM7 Version 12 - but imagine such a
disk containing a complete MVS-Operating System (I like to pick on IBM
software. at least, I get no flames from those UNIX-fundamentalists rumoured
to haunt this net), plus a lot of compilers, utility programs, and useful
data files.

And remember, maintainance and updates cost $$$, so how much are these
updates going to cost?  At the cost of a magazine subscription I'd accept,
but then I don't think I ever believed in the Easter-Bunny.

But there are certainly useful applications, how about getting the phone
book published in this form - they only update once a year anyway and
you get the book at no extra cost (until now, anyway).  There goes the
ability to "upgrade" the phone book by adding an updated number with pencil,
the ultimate word processor, IF equipped with an erasor ...

My conclusion:  As neither software nor data is cheap, this disk is either
full of garbage and affordable, or VERY expensive to buy.  As maintenance
and updates are expensive, only the super-rich will be able to afford it.
MAYBE, IBM will offer those drives below cost as an add-on, and then
sell their software and software updates to millions of PC-owners, at a
small profit, but still making GEGA-bucks in total, but I'm not recommending
that you hold your breath.

		An Afterthought
Many years ago while system-hacking on IBM-mainframes, I dropped a letter in
their suggestion box, saying that they should come up with a way to make
ALL their software available to ALL sites, and charge according to usage.
We, the customer, had to waste so much time and effort to justify to
management the purchase cost of new software, that many packages simply
never got considered, even when free trial-periods are offered.  But when
all the software in the world is just sitting there to be tested and
played with by anyone without need to worry about the "small" (in IBM terms)
usage fee, everyone would benefit. Plus, imagine the competetive edge that
would have put IBM in (or not), as all independent software houses would
have to follow suit.  Whereas IBM has the capital strength to reap profits
slowly by usage fees, I, seriously doubt that software houses could survive
such a policy, as they need the cash faster to cover costs and new
developments.

On the other hand, if I think that the independent's software would be
available at the same easy terms, and comparisons made that easy, I had
my doubts that IBM-software would get very much use - but I did not tell
that to IBM, of course, because that's what I was scheming for, anyway,
in retaliation for all the nightmares received due to IBM-software.

Well, maybe IBM has developed a black-box to guarantee fees are collected
according to usage, and to make pirating programs off those GEGA-disks
"nearly" impossible (near enough not to worry about revenues),
or maybe their software has improved tremendously, or their marketing
evaluation indicates that it is not likely that the competition will be
able to stand up to the massive onslaught of IBM "cheap" software and data;

Maybe, I have the largest bonus in history coming my way for the best idea
since IBM was founded ....
				I promise to accept graciously, never say
another word about IBM software, and guarantee that even my grand-children
will pay homage to the wisdom of IBM ....

	Ha,
		werner @ utexas-20.ARPA
		werner @ ut-ngp.UUCP	(via ihnp4)