Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!mordor!sri-spam!ames!aurora!labrea!agate!ucbvax!hplabs!hplabsz!taylor
From: kurt@tc.fluke.com (Kurt Guntheroth)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: "Soap software" - One scenario for the Software market
Message-ID: <1531@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM>
Date: 2 Feb 88 09:05:08 GMT
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Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
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Approved: taylor@hplabs

John Miller wrote:

> Mass advertising through software is an interesting idea, but I think any
> attempts in this direction would provoke the same response as has copy
> protection -- a major outcry of protest and a thriving industry for
> removing the unwanted features of the software.  Although some advertisements
> are recognized for artistic merit or comic relief, the public generally
> is contemptuous and unappreciative of advertising.

Ah, but you forget, soap software is free, like broadcast TV.  Will you pay
for a modified software version rather than accept the free one?  Some will
of course, and some will buy additional software to remove commercials from
their soap software.  But this is a small problem.  It's like the "mute"
buttons on TV sets and the fast forware buttons on VCRs.  I have both of
these commercial killers, but I still see about 2/3 of all commercials
beamed to me.

A more interesting problem is finding advertisers who would buy space of
technical products.

Kurt Guntheroth