Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!killer!texbell!merch!cpe!hal6000!trsvax!johnm
From: johnm@trsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: ZOO availability (was: A Short
Message-ID: <216100058@trsvax>
Date: 17 Oct 88 13:04:00 GMT
References: <4314@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Lines: 49
Nf-ID: #R:bsu-cs.UUCP:4314:trsvax:216100058:000:2428
Nf-From: trsvax.UUCP!johnm    Oct 17 08:04:00 1988


>                                All that CompuServe has to do is put
>zoo in an area on which it does not claim a compilation copyright, and
>charge $8/hour or less for 1200 bps downloads from that area.

Speaking as someone who has spent $3000 on CompuServe just this year :-)...

There are precedents for areas on CompuServe that do not have any cost but there
are no such precedents for areas over which CompuServe will not claim a
compilation copyright.

AND (<- Big and), you can pretty much forget the idea that your program is going
to receive any kind of special treatment in either respect.  Here's why...

Let's say your CompuServe and it would certainly be nice to switch over and have
this other guys whiz bang (litigation free) archiver available on your service
but he has distribution requirements that require you to set up a special area
over which you have no compilation copyright and which you charge nothing for
or less money for.

Do you do it?  No!!  HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!

Why not?  Because author B (who writes Spudgemaster 2000, a popular shareware
Spudge cataloger) then pops up with his new distribution requirements, "I want
my software to be distributed cheaper also, I'm tired of Compu$erve gouging 
people!"  Ditto with other authors.  Be serious here, if you were the author of
some of these other products wouldn't you demand that they also be available at
a reduced download cost (or free)?  I would.

Also the existence of the so called compilation copyright should in theory only
keep another new service from just downloading everything on CompuServe and then
just coming online one day with all of their charges $1 less an hour.  It would
not (and I tend to say cannot) affect any form of distribution that private
individuals offer.  I'm not inclined to argue this point however because whether
you are right or they or right on the compilation copyright they will see the
first point I mentioned above and that will be that.

>It's not a question of gripes.  It's a question of keeping free
>software free, or as near free as will let people distribute it without
>losing money.
>-- 
>Rahul Dhesi         UUCP:  <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!dhesi

Unfortunately, it is also a question of business in these peoples minds.  And
business always comes before people..........

John Munsch
I'm on your side but I'm afraid it all comes down to how much you really want
ZOO to be a standard.