Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!cs122dc
From: cs122dc@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Lack of games for the GS
Message-ID: <15800094@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 6 Mar 90 01:41:41 GMT
References: <1113@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU>
Lines: 60
Nf-ID: #R:oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU:1113:ux1.cso.uiuc.edu:15800094:000:2284
Nf-From: ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!cs122dc    Mar  5 11:40:00 1990


> bchurch@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU writes:

>If you protect the program people who steal software will use a utility
>to copy it. 

No argument there!

>From a 
>marketing view point then, marginal gain ( the people who couldn't copy the
>program so they bought it) is far exceeded by marginal loss ( those who buy
>software but won't buy a copy-protected game). 

This, of course, is assuming the person has already used the program and
knows that it is worth what is being charged, and that enough people will
buy it to make up the loss for those who DIDN'T buy it.


ccw@nvuxr.UUCP writes:

>Are you playing devil's advocate, or what?  Appleworks is not copy
>protected.  I started with a pirated version.  After a month of doing
>useful, productive work with it (with no manual!  Ease of use!) I was so
>impressed that I bought the program.  Ans shelled out the $50 for an
>upgrade (to 2.0, I think).

I think the point of my response was missed.  I don't like protected 
programs any more than the next person, but I can where the software
publishers are coming from.  This is America. The idea is to make money.
If someone is stealing some of your profit then you aren't making as
much as you could.  At any rate-- I'm not siding with the publishers at all,
I'm just saying that they have their reasons for doing what they're doing.


>Copy protection forces hardships on your legitimate customers to prevent
>unscrupulous people from using a program without paying for it. 
>Unscrupulous people probably have copy ][+, so copy protection doesn't
>do any good, and pisses off your paying customers.

I know, I'm a legitimate customer.

>Program performance is many things.  Even "kley disk" programs are
>enough of a hassle that many users feel that they don't perform.

>Chris Wood     Bellcore     ...!bellcore!nvuxr!ccw
>                         or nvuxr!ccw@bellcore.bellcore.com

True again. Performance has too broad of a definition.

Sooner or later protected programs will cease to exist, hopefully! :-)
That would make life a lot easier for a lot of people. 

'Til next time...

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  // cs122dc@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu \\
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