Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dicomed.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!dicomed!boylan From: boylan@dicomed.UUCP (Chris Boylan) Newsgroups: net.arch,net.followup,net.micro Subject: Re: AT&T and the 3B*2 Message-ID: <199@dicomed.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Jun-84 19:43:08 EDT Article-I.D.: dicomed.199 Posted: Tue Jun 5 19:43:08 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 6-Jun-84 07:13:55 EDT References: <426@drutx.UUCP> Organization: DICOMED Corp., Minneapolis Lines: 53 >From: jerry@oliveb.UUCP (Jerry Aguirre) >Everyone seems to think this is AT&T's idea. When the manager making >the purchase sees a list of the software he is paying for he is going >to start asking about what kind of discount he can get if he doesn't >buy nroff, the C compiler, and uucp. >Not everyone wants to do development on these machines. Some people >will probably buy it for a dedicated application (it would make a nice >center network node) or will just run vi and nroff on it. This is all true and a good argument, however the reverse position is also true. Generally people want a language and a bunch of tools, whether they are database systems or yacc isn't really important, and from my point of view selling them a stripped UNIX system and making them buy the things they specifically know they need isn't doing them a favor. For the most part, selling a stripped UNIX system at a "lower?" price forces the price up for those users who will use/need a wide assortment of tools [included but not limited to us or at least me]. It causes the manager (as per Jerry's article) to preceive the system costing less, at the expense of not getting the "free" software [no flames, please] thus making it MORE expensive should the application change, it's scope expand or the number or applications increase. I would rather see potential unbundlers send the software along on an extra tape, floppys, cassette, etc. and use it as a feature: Includes 43K of software at NO additional cost!!! A lot of the IBM-PC compatible people toss in `3000 dollars' worth of software at "NO" addition cost to good effect. It worked for Osborne for quite awhile. Anyway, another approach would be to offer the excess software at a nominal charge so that it wouldn't price it out of the reach of those really wanted it ALL while still providing some encouragement to the inexperienced buyer to plan a little bit and/or "splurge" for that little frill. Prehaps the software leasing plan that has been mentioned in this forum is AT&T's attempt at this... As an aside, I think the person who suggested that disk storage capacity is a reasonable limit or excuse for not shipping everything had a good point. It doesn't appear (from what I know) that this is a real problem but it is an eminently reasonable determining factor. -- Chris Boylan {mgnetp | ihnp4 | uwvax}!dicomed!boylan