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From: chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Fascist Licensing Agreement
Message-ID: <4261@sun.uucp>
Date: Thu, 19-Jun-86 12:18:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.4261
Posted: Thu Jun 19 12:18:38 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Jun-86 02:42:49 EDT
References: <1014@spice.cs.cmu.edu> <12034@amdcad.UUCP>
Organization: Fictional Reality, uLtd
Lines: 33

> I think Apple's policy is a SAFE one, perhaps overly cautious, but in no
> way deserves to be called Fascist.

I want to expand on this a bit, and then maybe we can be done with the
this puppy.

1) All of this hassle has been because Apple didn't do things the way YOU
want them done.  Nobody seems to have stopped and considered whether what
YOU wanted was also in the interests of Apple.  There are two interested
parties here:  the manufacturer and the user.  Somewhere between them is 
a useful compromise between protecting the ownership of the software and
making it easily available.  I think Apple has taken a strong first step
towards making the software available while not losing control of it.  When
was the last time IBM posted an update to PC-DOS to a BBS?  I won't claim
that the agreement is perfect from the users point of view, but look at 
the alternatives.  Apple is (again) breaking new ground, so it isn't
surprising they tread carefully.  Depending on how this experiment works,
I'd expect the licensing to be liberalized as Apple grows more confident.
Unless, of course, people botch up the deal and Apple has to cancel it.

2) If you don't like it, write to Apple.  We can ALWAYS go back to the old
way of doing things -- Apple mails it to the dealer (eventually) and you
find a deal willing to admit to having a copy (eventually). 


-- 
:From the lofty realms of Castle Plaid:          Chuq Von Rospach 
chuq%plaid@sun.COM	FidoNet: 125/84		 CompuServe: 73317,635
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Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be
the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table.
					-- The Anarchist Cookbook