Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!van-bc!root From: lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Card Cages and extra serial port support for A500 Message-ID: <2443@van-bc.UUCP> Date: 28 May 89 16:45:20 GMT Sender: root@van-bc.UUCP Lines: 78 > In , kudla@pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes: > In article <664@madnix.UUCP> perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > > You want my software for free? Right. You're typical of what's wrong > with the Amiga market. This ain't no damn 64. Grow up. > > I believe you've got the situation reversed. On the 64, there wasn't > anything nearly as useful as the equivalent of a serial port driver in > the public domain. Depends on what you call useful I guess. I had quite a number of useful PD items that were at least as useful as a serial port driver (and even wrote a few of them myself). I think though, that Perry's comment was aimed more at the 'something for nothing', 'gimme, gimme, gimme' attitude so prevalent in the low cost computer arena. > The Amiga, on the other hand, would die without public > domain/shareware/freeware. Yes, the number of free/shareware packages available for the Amiga is truly astounding. It has indeed helped the AMiga get where it is today. It is also important, however, that the developers producing commercial software reap some rewards for their efforts, or the machine will suffer because of it. > (The only reason the 64 is around still, I think, is 'cause kids tell their > friends "Buy a 64 and I'll let you copy my 5,000 disks full of games!") That's it.. the 'something for nothing' attitude. It is prevalent on virtually all computers, but more so on the lower cost ones. It reflects a complete lack of understanding of the value of software from the point of view of the effort it takes to produce, or of the importance of putting food on the developer's table if you choose to use the product. > But in any case, I don't believe he was asking you for a complimentary > copy of your software, was he? (1) it probably wouldn't work with his > hardware project, and (2) if it did, he wouldn't be asking *you* for > it. No need to get so defensive; The message Perry was replying to was mine, though it was not me that was asking for the software. I quote... >In <10744@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>, bdiscoe@tybalt.caltech.edu (Ben W. Discoe) writes: >> I had a similar need, multi-serial ports for my 1000. ... > >> No, it doesn't work yet, the software side needs to be done. I suppose >> I'll have to buy the Exec docs, or maybe the "Guru's Guide" somethingorather. >> Much better would be to get the software that drives the ASDG device and follow >> the same interfacing design they used. However, I don't know if ASDG would be >> so friendly. ... (PLEASE?) > Is there any particular reason why you think ASDG would be willing to give away > the software for one of their products? Sure looks like he wants not only the software, but wants the interfacing details as well. Defensive? Yes, Perry was defensive. I am surprised his flame thrower wasn't set to 'crisp'. > the only reason I've ever heard of your company is because I used your > recoverable ram disk for a year or so. With that kind of track record, I'm > surprised to see you putting down freely-redistributable stuff as you are..... Where did he put down freely-redistibutable stuff? He was merely pointing out that he put considerable effort into producing a serial driver intended to be part of a commercial product, and was commenting on the 'gimme, gimme, gimme' attitude shown by the one who requested the results of that effort. Bottom line is that Perry has witen PD, shareware, and commercial software, as have a number of developers on the Amiga, and is well within reasonable bounds of decorum in answering as he did. -larry -- - Don't tell me what kind of a day to have! - +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | // Larry Phillips | | \X/ lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca or uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | | COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+