Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!oliveb!intelca!mipos3!omepd!intelob!griff
From: griff@intelob.intel.com (Richard Griffith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies)
Message-ID: <3989@omepd.UUCP>
Date: 15 Dec 88 02:27:39 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us>
Sender: news@omepd.UUCP
Reply-To: griff@intelob.UUCP (Richard Griffith)
Organization: Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Oregon
Lines: 52

In article <555@icus.islp.ny.us> eric@icus.UUCP () writes:
>
>
>Hmmm This Bit about FTL and copywritten Save files and
>peoeples replies to it have made me decide to write A note.

[ some outstanding points deleted ]

>
>   Eric Hyman       |             ...att    \
>                    |                boulder \
>   eric @ icus      |                talcott  !icus!eric
>                    |                pacbell /
>                    |                sbcs   /

This might surprise you, Eric, but I agree.  I know several people
who regularly copy software, as I'm sure, you do.  I know one guy 
who copies software, not because he uses it, but becasue he COLLECTS
it.  He must have every shareware, freeware, etc. program on the market,
yet, I think he uses maybe 7-10 programs *total* (fortunately, at my
insistance, he has purchased most of those...).  

I suggest a different strategy for software in general.  Many people
have yet another reason for "pirating".  It is relatively easy to 
produce a box that is intriguing enough to get someone to buy the 
software.  Just put good enough pictures on a game, enough of a 
feature list on an application...etc.  Some of that software is,
let's face it, *expensive*.  Few people make enough money to drop
$150-200 on a product, only to find out that the box was the best 
feature of the product, or that it had so many bugs as to be useless.
Software companies (again, the old-chicken-and-egg problem) can't
afford to say "ok, the product wasn't what you wanted - here's
your money back...", because of piracy!  People want to "try before
they buy".  This is why I was ready to purchase Dungeon Master,
until I read the net. (See? even a good "free" demo isn't always
enough to give you the info you need on a program... altho, it's
better than nothing) 

I have urged people that I know who copy stuff to buy it if they 
like it. (One of those, by the way, bought Kampfgruppe....so
when are you gonna do Mech Brigade and Sixth Fleet? I'll buy 
those sight unseen based on what I have seen of Kg! :-) ) 

  - keep it up, if you can! :-)

                     - griff
**************************************************************************
* Richard E. Griffith      *   "Someday soon we'll stop to ponder -      *
*    "griff"		   * 	What on Earth's this spell we're under?  *
* BiiN, Hillsboro Ore.	   *    We made the grade, but still we wonder - *
* (When are we getting	   *    Who the Hell we are?"                    *
*  Our own Usenet node?)   * 		    - Styx "Grand Illusion"      *
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