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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Satellite netnews gateway installed: "stargate" exists!
Message-ID: <4775@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Dec-84 15:43:18 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4775
Posted: Wed Dec 12 15:43:18 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Dec-84 15:43:18 EST
References: <463@vortex.UUCP>, <271@bragvax.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 31

In Lauren's defense...

> This is totally bogus!  There is no reason why the decoder should cost
> more than $100 (video input) or $150 (RF input).

Lauren is a pro in this area; I'm afraid I put rather more faith in his
cost estimates than yours.

> ... If Lauren is turning a
> profit on this, why is Usenix funding the project?

Maybe because they think it's desirable, even if some awful capitalist
swine does happen to be making a profit on it.  Or even Lauren :-).
Seriously, David, we're talking about a substantial production volume
for this widget -- even 10 copies counts as "production" when it comes
to the practical end of building them, and there'll be more than that --
and such things work out much better if people who work hard to make them
go are allowed some compensation.

> Yeah, specialized hardware -- an SBC with some RAM on it.

Plus a wee bit of software imbedded in that hardware...  "Software should
be called hardware, and hardware should be called easyware."

> This project seems to be about as well organized as the "Usenet
> project".

And what have you done for the network lately?
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry