Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:10635 comp.sys.atari.st:6968
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!mit-eddie!ll-xn!singer
From: singer@XN.LL.MIT.EDU (Matthew R. Singer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Software (and other kinds of) copying
Summary: Piracy, cost of software
Keywords: technology changes things
Message-ID: <878@xn.LL.MIT.EDU>
Date: 21 Jan 88 15:47:25 GMT
References: <8055@g.ms.uky.edu> <174@piring.cwi.nl> <39450@sun.uucp> <2519@im4u.UUCP>
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA
Lines: 58

In article <2519@im4u.UUCP>, speegle@im4u.UUCP (Greg Speegle) writes:
> I'm new to this discussion so this maybe an old answer, but I think that
> part of the problem is the cost of the software. Suppose someone wants the 
> new hot shot program "Foo Bars Baz", but doesn't feel like it is worth
> $50,$100, or $500, so he waits and hopes the price will come down. Then
> someone he knows offers to copy it for him. What does he do? He wants the
> software, would really rather buy it, but here it is free and easy. 
> The odds are very high that he will have it copied and go on. Now what
> would have happened if the software had originally cost only $10? The 
> person would have probably bought it when he first saw it. I have no 
> idea if any software product could turn a profit at $10 a pop, but the 
> high prices of software are a contributing factor. For example, nobody
> ever copies something out of a $3 paperback, but many $50 textbooks 
> have parts copied out of them all the time. I feel like most people are
> basically honest (Were did I get the rose colored glasses? :-) ) and 
> will buy things and pay the appropriate price, if the price is what
> they consider to be reasonable. 
> 
> Of course, even if I'm right, I don't know a good solution. I hope
> that software houses aren't making obscene profits on their stuff,
> so I would think that lowering the price would be almost impossible.
> Oh well, at least this can be food for thought.
> 
> Greg Speegle 
> -- 
> {seismo,ihnp4,pyramid}!ut-sally!speegle		speegle@sally.utexas.edu

I just thought I post what it cost me to produce a copy of the FoReM BBS 
system:

1) disk and label             $2
2) user manual                $6
3) royalty to maual author    $2
4) packaging                  $5  (plastic case and insert)
                   
Now, this is only $15.  Add to this, promotional materials, cost
of support bbs, cost of advertising, cost of returning phone calls...

Now, subtract that from the $24-$27 that distributors pay me for it
and you can see that I'm not getting rich, especially when you consider
how many paying customers there are for bbs software (hint: not many).


Matt Singer
Commnet Systems