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From: dave@micropen.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: UNIX(tm) licences and upgrades
Message-ID: <382@micropen>
Date: Thu, 1-Oct-87 15:51:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: micropen.382
Posted: Thu Oct  1 15:51:45 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Oct-87 11:49:50 EDT
Organization: Micropen Direct Writing Systems, Pittsford, NY
Lines: 30
Keywords: (tm) ATT.  upgrades

We are comtemplating abandoning the '286 architecture
for the new '386.  I have contacted my UNIX company
(Microport) about getting an upgrade to '386 UNIX.

Apparently, they don't do upgrades.  "'386 product is
a totally different product", was their saying.)  Now
I grant that they are different products but at least
$50 per runtime and $200 for unlimited user license are
fees payed directly to AT&T.  All I am doing is upgrading
my CPU on the "same" computer.  I find it analogous to
upgrading a 68010 to 68020 on a VME bus or a VAX750 to
a VAX780.  If there is only one computer, how is it that
AT&T can charge twice for the same license?  Or is it
that Microport is playing the upgrade overcharge game?

I honestly have upgraded UNIX CPUs before at other 
installations without re-paying AT&T since only the CPU
is involved (same disk, etc.  maybe an upgrade package
to my UNIX vendor but my AT&T I thought was for the
"computer" not for every board in the iron box.)

Does anyone have the definitive word on this?
How many people are running BSD UNIX on the same old v7
license their PDP had?

-- 
David F. Carlson, Micropen, Inc.
...!{ames|harvard|rutgers|topaz|...}!rochester!ur-valhalla!micropen!dave

"The faster I go, the behinder I get." --Lewis Carroll