Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 11/2/84; site seismo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!gatech!seismo!mo From: mo@seismo.UUCP (Mike O'Dell) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards Subject: AT&T applies the long silver Screw Message-ID: <5590@seismo.UUCP> Date: Mon, 26-Nov-84 15:31:16 EST Article-I.D.: seismo.5590 Posted: Mon Nov 26 15:31:16 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 28-Nov-84 02:37:09 EST Organization: Center for Seismic Studies, Arlington, VA Lines: 32 Xref: gatech net.unix:2775 net.unix-wizards:7686 Well boys and girls, in case anyone out there doubted their motives for a moment, AT&T has just vividly shown their stripes. I just got off the phone from calling the 800 number to order a copy of the latest BLTJ and I am hopping mad!! $27.50 the want for the thing!!!!!!!!!!!! I asked the person at "AT&T Commercial Sales" what happened to the reasonable price for reprints of BLTJ and the response was "the price was reasonable when it was being done by Bell Labs, and they aren't doing it any more." I think I would have pled the 5th Amendment before saying that. Moreover, I called the Circulation Group at Bell Labs and they curtly informed me I had to call the 800 number. At which point I again asked about the outrageous price, and was told "Well, we aren't in the giveaway business any more." Compared to most other CS books printed, it is probably a good value for the dollars spent, but other issues of BTLJ don't cost that! Just the one they think everyone will want!!!! To quote from the front of a recent issue, "Single copies of most issues of the Journal are available at $5 ($6) foreign,..." While subscriptions to the Computing Science and Systems section is only $10 per year!!!!!! Subscriptions for the entire BLTJ are only $35 a year!!! Well boys and girls, it is a cinch that Unix would have never become what it has (and AT&T would probably not have had a post-divestiture product!) if they had been this way in the beginning. This is pretty shoddy treatment of the people who have worked to make it possible for AT&T to display such arrogance. "Unix: from now on, consider it dead." -Mike O'Dell