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From: jdg@elmgate.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Amiga's Worst Enemy
Message-ID: <636@elmgate.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-May-87 22:06:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: elmgate.636
Posted: Fri May 15 22:06:44 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 16-May-87 17:05:56 EDT
References: <18006@sun.uucp> <857@sputnik.COM>
Reply-To: jdg@aurora.UUCP (Jeff Gortatowsky)
Organization: Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY
Lines: 37
Keywords: Shareware is bad for your health
Xref: utgpu comp.sys.amiga:4516 comp.sys.ibm.pc:3563
Summary: Does PD software drive off developers?

In article <857@sputnik.COM> kurt@tc.fluke.COM (Kurt Guntheroth) writes:
>Are WE the Amiga's worst enemy?
>
>The Amiga has a high proportion of good/usable public domain programs.
>Is it possible that these programs take enough revenue away from
>software companies that they don't bother to enter the amiga market?
>Remember that companies starting to support a new computer probably
>want to ease into the market with a little product to sort of test the
>waters.  Well, the users already have versions of all the little
>programs and some big ones as well.  Anyone care to speculate whether
>this is a real problem?
>
A real interesting point. As many of you know (those who also read
comp.sys.atari.st, I've taken some heat (which I asked for) for my stand
of "quality Amiga PD software" vs. "Rather poor (on the whole) ST PD
software".   Given a rather small Amiga market ( <200,000 units????),
does DME(nice job!!) or uGNUmacs take business away from, say, 
MicroSmith's? Just an example.....

Further, do officials (whoever 'they' are) at CBM regret this? For
example "If those darn hackers would 'sell' their wares in the stores,
instead of 'giving' it away, there would be more buyer incentive to 
purchase an Amiga, because there would be more commercial software." An
interesting thought.  Who at CBM-Amiga would have guessed that such a
talented group of programmers (you gals and guys) would adopt their
brain child, and then 'give' away (for free!) their labors?  Certainly
there 'might' be a point to be made.  I'm in no way suggesting that you
stop.  Simply, could the excellence of your work have discouraged an
equally excellent work that would have been commercial?   Guess I've
asked the question as the poster, huh?


-- 
Jeff Gortatowsky       {seismo,allegra}!rochester!kodak!elmgate!jdg
Eastman Kodak Company  
These comments are mine alone and not Eastman Kodak's. How's that for a
simple and complete disclaimer?