Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!motbos!shino
From: shino@motbos.UUCP (Rei Shinozuka MCD SE)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: lotus chairman makes 26 million
Keywords: thats too much
Message-ID: <380@motbos.UUCP>
Date: 25 Apr 88 21:38:54 GMT
Organization: Motorola SPS Sales Office, Woburn, Ma., 01801
Lines: 60

(warning:  this article is a soapboxer)

I just read in this week's Business Week (May 2, 1988) that Jim Manzi
of Lotus made $26,297,000 in salary, bonuses and stock options
last year.  Alexander V. d'Arbeloff, chairman of Lotus' compensation
committee explains: "Around him, Jim saw people obviously not of his
competence making millions of dollars... we wanted to make sure he
stayed with the company, because he was holding it together."

Next, I read in MacWeek that the SPA (Software Publishers Association)
is now collecting legal fees to prosecute users who illegally copy
software.  I've also seen many ads put out by the SPA bemoaning the
loss to the industry, claiming that piracy is pushing up prices of 
software, etc.  

I can't accept the juxtoposition of these two news items.  I think
instead of having a "computer programmer" in an SPA ad self-righteously
proclaiming: "I'm a programmer, and you're ripping ME
off every time you copy software," I'd like to see: "I'm the chair-
man of ABC Software and piracy has reduced my salary from 10 million
to 7 million dollars per year."  I'm a programmer, too, and that
"programmer spokesman" in the ad sure doesn't speak for me! 

Granted, copying software is illegal.  But I just can't see that it
is IMMORAL, as the SPA is trying to brainwash me into believing.
From d'Arbeloff's quote, it seems that there are scads of guys running
around at Lotus literally making millions of dollars.  They are all
making too much money!  I am a staunch capitalist, make no mistake,
but the simple fact of the matter is: THEY ARE MAKING TOO MUCH MONEY!
How much is too much?  I'd like to know what the programmers are 
making, in comparison.  After all, a lot of programmers make 26K, which
is THREE ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE less than 26M!!  THAT'S TOO MUCH MONEY!!

When you compare their profits versus their earnings to companies
like GE, IBM, DEC (no flames, please) that actually MANUFACTURE
SOMETHING REAL, then you can see that THEY ARE MAKING TOO MUCH MONEY!!

The SPA is legally in the right, and they have the bucks to buy the 
lawyers to prove it.  But when I think of them busting users making 
copies, I can't help thinking of robber barons, feudal kings vs. serfs,
etc.  They were legally in the right, too.  But you didn't feel sorry
for them, the way you are supposed to for the SPA companies. 

Don't feel sorry for the SPA.  I'm not condoning piracy, because
that's illegal.  But I can think of many situations where it's surely
not immoral.  And I find it hard to feel sorry for those who make
several orders of magnitude more than anyone I know. 

I don't enough about the law to know what a solution is, but I 
do know that it stinks.  

-rei

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disclaimer: 1) these opinions are my own and are not shared or known by
               my employers, teachers, parents, etc.
            2) i am in no way advocating illegal copying of software, which
               is by definition against the law.
            3) this article is not aimed against all software companies,
               but against what i interpret the attitude of the SPA to be.