Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!mimsy!chris
From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Ethics of crippler circuitry
Message-ID: <16224@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: 6 Mar 89 04:06:36 GMT
References: <176@ucl-cs.UUCP> <1989Mar2.193443.17196@sq.com> <491@skep2.ATT.COM>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 38

In article <491@skep2.ATT.COM> wcs@skep2.ATT.COM (Bill.Stewart.[ho95c]) writes:
>As long as there's no coercion involved, charging any price you want is
>ethical.  In poor taste, maybe.  A bad marketing move, maybe. A clear
>sign to your customers that they might get better service from another
>company, maybe.  But as long as the wimped-down version of the machine
>delivers the performance you told them it would, it's ethical.

The definition of `ethic' is a bit slippery%, but if you rephrase this
as `will I stop you, and do I think other people should stop you?', my
answer is `no'.  I *do* think `crippler' circuits are stupid, and I
would recommend that people not buy the machine, but I happen to like
free markets.

>Unethical is when you ask the US Government to keep the competition
>from selling their products without crippler circuits for the same
>prices as your selling your crippled versions.

And many people seem to agree with this, until . . .

>maybe the customers will believe they're getting better services from
>the people with the impressive brand names than from Clonesville Computers.
>And if not, Clonesville will kick your butts.

. . . they find out that Clonesville is a (Korean|Japanese|insert your
favourite rival country) manufacturer and start crying for tariffs.
Hmm.

-----
% Webster defines `ethical' as 

   ... 2: conforming to accepted esp. professional standards of conduct ...

  so one could claim that `if everyone does it' it must be `ethical'.
  `Ethical' also carries a fair connotative weight.  Best to avoid the
  word outside of rhetoric.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7163)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris