Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!houser
From: houser@mcnc.org (Kevin D. Houser)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Pirating on the ST
Keywords: ATARI PIRATING
Message-ID: <4575@alvin.mcnc.org>
Date: 30 May 89 12:34:29 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Microelectronics Center of NC; RTP, NC
Lines: 24


	I believe that most of the complaints about pirating on the ST
are a bull-s&!@ excuse for poor sales. Most of the quotes for sales volume
seem to come from GAME sales, not from REAL development tools and productive
software. I have spent over a thousand dollars on a few < 4 software
packages for the ST that are PROFESSIONAL quality. I do not buy games for
my ST because I do not consider games as being worth the OUTRAGEOUS prices
that local retailers want (ST versions are around $50 average). Now, that
does not mean that I pirate them either. I would rather buy games for my
8 bit atari, or CoCo 3 system at more reasonable prices ($25 average).
Being honest, I have only one pirated program for my ST which I do not
USE or distribute further, because it was sooo poorly written. However,
many of my friends with IBM's and IBM Clowns receive about 80% of their 
proffesional and game packages (illicitly) through work etc. When I used
an IBM clone I too was part of that lifestyle. BUT since my main system is
now an ST, many of my fellow STers are very very reluctant to pirate even
the most poorly developed software for fear that future development of
useful products will be hindered. 

On a final note, I would like to say that it is unfortunate that NO ONE
seems to market anything but GAMES here in Raleigh NC (for the ST).

Kevin Houser
houser@mcnc.org