Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!RICHTER.MIT.EDU!krowitz
From: krowitz@RICHTER.MIT.EDU (David Krowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re:  Hey Apollo folks...Listen up
Message-ID: <8811161430.AA09625@richter.mit.edu>
Date: 16 Nov 88 14:30:16 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 51

Whoa, pardner ... I've been speaking to some of the people at
Chelmsford, and although no one has been able to give a clear 
picture of everything that has been going on, I have been able
to glean a little information.

1) First of all, GPR is still bundled with Domain/OS and will remain
   there for the fore-see-able future. The DM requires it, as does
   X-windows, DSPST, and others.

2) I am told that Domain/OS includes a right-to-execute license for
   the 2-D GMR runtime library, but that you have to buy the manuals
   and media (on the order of $100) because not everyone uses it and
   wants to pay for it. I'm still trying to find out what other graphics
   products have run-time licenses bundled with the OS. Our current
   nodes came with 2-D GMR bundled with the hardware, so I suspect
   that current customers all own 2-D GMR development licenses in
   addition to the runtime licenses. I'm waiting for a reply on this
   one, though. We *will* have to start paying maintenance on 2-D GMR
   seperate from the OS, *and* we will have to start paying maintenance
   for the OS seperate from the hardware. We will no longer have to
   pay for TCP/IP, as that has been bundled with the OS. I am waiting
   for a revised series of contracts to get to me (sometime next week)
   so I can total up the changes and see what the new overall cost
   will be. I expect it to be higher.

3) Back around SR9.2 - SR9.5, 3-D GMR was bundled with the OS, which
   in turn was bundled with the hardware. We bought at least one or
   two machines in this period, and we got a copy of manuals and media
   for the SR9.5 version. We have not paid maintenance on the product,
   as no one was using it. I'm trying to find out whether this means
   that we still own a runtime and/or development license for this
   product and can simply order another set of manuals and media.

Apollo has been extremely (VERY EXTREMELY!) out of line in not providing
current customers, their field service offices, and even the sales force
with the information about how they are restructuring their licenses. We
have received no (absolutely none) letters, flyers, or even phone calls
about this matter until the flaming began on this mailing list. Now that
it has, I've received a couple of calls from people I know in Chelmsford
who are trying their best to get out the correct information. The people
who started this whole mess, however, should be getting their Xmas bonuses
from Sun shortly.


 -- David Krowitz

krowitz@richter.mit.edu   (18.83.0.109)
krowitz%richter@eddie.mit.edu
krowitz%richter@athena.mit.edu
krowitz%richter.mit.edu@mitvma.bitnet
(in order of decreasing preference)