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From: dorner@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: TeX (Apple Payoff Blacklist...)
Message-ID: <174400014@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: Fri, 6-Feb-87 12:00:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uxc.174400014
Posted: Fri Feb  6 12:00:00 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Feb-87 06:15:35 EST
References: <17122@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
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Nf-ID: #R:ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU:17122:uxc.cso.uiuc.edu:174400014:000:690
Nf-From: uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!dorner    Feb  6 11:00:00 1987


The pricing algorithm for a program (the guts of which were gotten for 
free) whose final price is $600 is approximately as follows:

    price =  whatever the suckers will pay.

Note that no use of the cost of production or distribution or anything
else enters into the algorithm.

Is TeX (actually, only the periphery of TeX, since the heart was free from
Knuth) REALLY three times as costly to produce and distribute than 
Microsoft Word?  I doubt it.  Or three times as costly as Lightspeed C?

TeX is (for the mac, at least) a niche product.  Not very many people are
going to buy it, and the ones who will, want it BAD.  Thus, the high price.

--
Steve Dorner
dorner@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu