Xref: utzoo comp.sources.d:2199 news.admin:2373
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tikal!amc!pilchuck!ssc!fyl
From: fyl@ssc.UUCP (Phil Hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d,news.admin
Subject: Re: binaries on the net
Message-ID: <1235@ssc.UUCP>
Date: 30 May 88 20:26:32 GMT
References: <1574@looking.UUCP> <22099@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <392@pan.UUCP> <438@encad.Wichita.NCR.COM>
Organization: Slugland, USA
Lines: 42

In article <438@encad.Wichita.NCR.COM>, jpederse@encad.Wichita.NCR.COM (John Pedersen) writes:
> In article <1227@ssc.UUCP> fyl@ssc.UUCP (Phil Hughes) writes:
> |>
> |>Here is another proposal: how about a group where you post info about
> |>available binaries.  Availability info would include a blurb about what it
> |>does and a list of ways to get it: Acme BBS, send $3 to Sleazy Software
> Boy that really opens up some doors,
> maybe that group could be called commercial.advertising
> 
> Whats the difference between someone "advertising" a program for a few bucks
> and someone "offering" a program for a few hundred bucks. Or for that matter
> someone "selling" software, hardware, cars, houses, ,..........

Actually, not much.  People advertise houses and cars in misc.forsale and
all kinks of new products are 'advertised' in comp.newprod.  Convention
seems to dictate that this is a problem if other than the individual owner
places the ad.  In other words, if I am a realtor, most people would
be offended (including myself) if I posted real estate ads.

It is hard to imagine that posting 5 lines of information about where
a program is available for $3 (or even $3,000) could be considered more
commercial than posting a binary demo version of a program.  The binary
would certainly be much larger and would probably contain information on
where to purchase the 'real' version.  The intent of posting the demo
binary is to get you to buy the real one.

We sell UNIX software (as well as other stuff) and use the newprod group
to announce the availability of new products.  We hope everyone will rush
out and buy it so we can retire and move to Tahiti or whatever (which
hasn't happened yet) but we also do it so people will know that a new
product is available.  I have been on the other end, looking for a
specific piece of software, and see this type of posting as a service.

Anyway, USENET is here as a service to the users.  This binary
distribution discussion started because people felt that the benefit of
sending binaries on the net may not be worth the cost.  Telling me that
something exists takes a lot less bandwitdh than sending it.  If the
announcement also tells me where I can get it and what it costs, I can now
decide if I an willing to pay the price.

-- 
Phil    uunet!pilchuck!ssc!fyl