Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!eecae!cps3xx!usenet
From: usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Piracy
Summary: Software publishers are NOT the enemy!
Keywords: piracy, publishing
Message-ID: <3143@cps3xx.UUCP>
Date: 25 May 89 19:08:45 GMT
References: <8905211959.AA07191@crash.cts.com>
Reply-To: rang@cpsin3.cps.msu.edu (Anton Rang)
Organization: Michigan State University, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 39

In article <8905211959.AA07191@crash.cts.com> pnet01!pro-nsfmat!pro-europa!samt@nosc.mil writes:
>Software Publishers are in general a bunch of pirates in the same league as
>those that steal their software.  They demand that they have the right to sell
>poorly written, poorly documented, poorly performing software packages "AS
>IS".  The only responsibility that they want to shoulder is to take your
>money.

  This sounds like trying to justify hurting somebody (the publishers)
by saying "they're all mean and nasty and out to get me."  It just
ain't so.

>  It is to their advantage to put out half-baked programs.  They can
>then fleece their customers for some more money for "upgrades".  

  No, it is NOT to a company's advantage.  If I buy a program from a
company and it's very buggy, that lowers my opinion of the company,
and I'm not as likely to buy anything else from them.  I may upgrade
if the upgrade is inexpensive, but if the upgraded version still
doesn't work, I'll give up on the company.  Any software company that
really worked this way would be out of business pretty soon.

  Upgrades are there for three reasons:

	(1) It is impossible to find all bugs during testing.
	(2) New features may be added.
	(3) New system configurations may be supported (i.e. ][+ ==> //e).

If there are serious bugs, it makes sense for the company to give free
upgrades (or shipping-and-handling).  If the bugs aren't too bad, it
makes more sense to fold them in with new features.  If you're getting
new features, expect to pay more for them.

  All that piracy does is to reduce the incentive to write (and
publish) software.

+---------------------------+------------------------+
| Anton Rang (grad student) | "VMS Forever!"         |
| Michigan State University | rang@cpswh.cps.msu.edu |
+---------------------------+------------------------+