Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdcad!apple!vsi1!altnet!uunet!swlabs!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM ([Karl Denninger])
Newsgroups: alt.next
Subject: Questions on NeXT machine
Keywords: NeXT
Message-ID: <[9.5]karl@ddsw1.alt.next>
Date: 16 Oct 88 11:00:05 GMT
References: <17780@glacier.STANFORD.EDU>
Lines: 35
XPosting-Software: AKCSNet V5.5


With regards to Next machines only being available to colleges:

I hope Jobs comes around to reality soon...

Failing to serve a major market segment that wants to purchase his machine 
(ie: you and I, folks) is a big, big mistake.  Being arrogant and saying
"you want one, go to college!" is not the answer.

If Next really expects we, the developers and software publishers, to come
out with software for this beast, they had BETTER give us more of a market
than the University crowd!  Heck -- with recent court decisions, the
Universities can rip off (read: pirate, copy, steal) all the software they
want, and you can't stop them (reference recent court decision where a
state-owned college was found not liable for copyright infringement).

Sorry, but I won't develop, sell, or permit the use of our software by
colleges until and unless they agree to abide by our copyright, and the law
contains the teeth to force that complience.   The university market
represents too little money to gain our full support.

Also -- how about GNU?  Since GNU C is part of the package, can I sell my
product that I compile using this compiler?  Or must I follow the GNU
General license with regards to my product if compiled using that compiler,
essentially reducing the value of the product to zero?  If the second case
holds true (ie: you can't really resell compiled binaries) then Jobs has
just slammed the door -- if I have to sell SOURCE code in order to get
around the license problem, the cost of providing the software to a client
has just tripled (from their perspective, since they cannot buy a binary)!

If Jobs wants this machine to succeed, he _must_ market to the general
consumer.  You can bet that Sun and DEC are working on something to compete
with the NEXT box -- and that you and I will be able to buy that product.

-- Karl (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM)