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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ucbvax!hplabs!well!ewhac
From: ewhac@well.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: BlitzFonts query reply (and executable)
Message-ID: <3061@well.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-May-87 01:56:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: well.3061
Posted: Thu May 14 01:56:05 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 16-May-87 08:43:05 EDT
References: <6555@amdahl.amdahl.com>
Reply-To: ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab)
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 91
Keywords: unnecessary, unfair, secrecy, CIA, FBI, NSA...  oops!
Summary: I Wanna Know How It's Done!!

In article <6555@amdahl.amdahl.com> kim@amdahl.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) writes:
> [ Not really Kim DeVaughn.  Ed.]
>
>            //             --  BLITZFONTS  --              //
>          \X/                  ~~~~~~~~~~                \X/
>                           by Hayes C. Haugen
>
>
>    BlitzFonts: makes text output up to 6 times faster.  [ more hype... ]
>
>     This program is being offered as ShareWare. [ ... ] When you use
>BlitzFonts and realize how much better your life truly is, send a $10 or
>more contribution to me, the author, at:  [ address deleted ]
>
>In return, you will receive a disk with the latest version of BlitzFonts with
>more features, and other shareware by me.  Contributions of less than $10 are
>greatly appreciated, and you will be added to my mailing list, but cost
>prohibits me from sending you a disk.  If you already own one of my other
>ShareWare programs, let me know which one and I will also send you a free
>update to that program.
>
> [ more hype, followed by flamage about how no one has paid him any money,
> followed by MORE hype about other stuff he's done. ]
>
>   BlitzFonts is copyright 1987 by Hayes C. Haugen, all rights except for
>limited non-commercial distribution are reserved.  BlitzFonts may not be
>given away or sold independently or with any other program, except as detailed
>above.  Companies and ShareWare authors may license BlitzFonts for inclusion
>in their own programs, please contact the author at the above address for
>details.  All warranties whether expressed or implied are non-existent.  The
>user assumes all risk in using this program, and under no circumstances will
>the author or anyone related to him (or his friends) be held liable for any
>damages, however extreme or minor, caused directly or indirectly by BlitzFonts.
>
	Hrumph.

	Before I start, please note:  This is not another volley in the
Shareware Debate (which I wish would go away; the S/N ratio is too high).
This is a mild (hopefully) tirade about an irritating practice that I feel
deserves pointing out.

	Now then, if you review the above README file from BlitzFonts, you
will notice the author seems to be a rather effective hype artist.  He tells
you about all the good things his utility will do for you, and how, if you
send him money, he'll provide you with an update to the program.

	However, if you look closer, you'll notice that there's one thing he
won't provide you with:  SOURCE CODE!!!

	To put it simply, *I want the source!!*  If I send this guy money, I
would like a copy of the source so I can find out How He Did It.

	I find the true value of PD Amiga software to be the programming
education it provides.  I get to learn about how people have attacked
certain problems which I may face one day.  There's a tremendous amount of
stuff I *don't* know about the Amiga (sound for one), and I always relish
the opportunity to delve into someone else's code to find out how he
attacked one such problem.

	On Fish Disk #50 is a Missile Command game which is of very high
quality.  For a nominal fee, the author will send you a disk with a copy of
the source code on it (about 80K of *assembly!*).  I fully intend to send
this guy bucks in the near future.  I want to know how How He Did It.

	However, Hayes Haugen has failed to provide this service, and I
find it irritating.  When I write code for public consumption, I *always*
provide a copy of the source (in fact, source is usually all I send out).
This is so that interested parties can take apart my program and learn, if
they want.  Apparently, I must have succeeded since a lot of "Tilt" variants
seem to have come out (like "DK") which, the authors claim, have been
inspired by my hacks.

	Does Hayes Haugen not care about others who wish to learn and build
upon his discoveries?  I won't presume to read his mind for him, but my
personal reaction is that I'm disappointed that he isn't providing this
information.

	Anyway, that's my opinion.  If you want to flame me, my mailbox is
always open....

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