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Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Your (preferred) software rights...
Message-ID: <473@looking.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 5-Jan-86 01:53:48 EST
Article-I.D.: looking.473
Posted: Sun Jan  5 01:53:48 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Jan-86 05:47:08 EST
References: <1220@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 40
Summary: 

>
>I also think too many of us believe too strongly in the power of the "free
>market" in determining which software package predominates.  In the long run,

	My god.  I never realized this.  We're missing out on a fantastic
	opportunity to have a bunch of lawers and legislators tell us how
	software should look, how it should be packaged, who should own it
	and to what extent the rights can be purchased.  And here we were
	being so silly as to have software people do this!
>I agree that obnoxious programs (due to bad protection or just bad code) will
>die a just death; however, the time constants involved in hardware and software
>don't often provide the freedom to wait for the market forces to catch up.  If
>you have a machine that will be outdated in 4 or 5 years and yet you wait the
>extra year or two it takes another developer to produce a good Gorp compiler
>that is _not_ protected, you will have wasted a major part of your investment.
	Right, what we need then is a law that says the first compiler that
	comes out has to be a good compiler.  How can any law change the fact
	that quality software takes time to write?
	Of course, we all know legislators work at blinding speed.


	Market forces will work very well in the computer biz.  In this
	industry, it's the *norm* to see revolutionary change in less than
	a year.  Even IBM, greatest bastion of conservative business 
	practices, came out with a machine 4 times better than the PC in
	4 years.  Let's see Ford Motors do that!

	Take a look at the largest companies in the world, particularly the
	largest retailers.  They got where they were by providing reliable
	service that pleased customers.  Nobody had to pass a law enforcing
	the Eaton's Guarantee (Large department store chain, grew that way with
	1 year unconditional guarantee on *all* merchandise)

	Buying software that somebody else wrote is not a right, it's a
	priviledge.  Just like the software publisher doesn't have a right
	to your money.  Any deal you want to work out is between you and
	him, bringing in Government goons will just make me sell my software
	to others, if you leave me with a choice. (Which you probably won't)
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473