Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site sesame.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!sesame!slerner
From: slerner@sesame.UUCP (Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: software copying and protection (a personal opinion)
Message-ID: <268@sesame.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 11-Aug-85 22:33:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: sesame.268
Posted: Sun Aug 11 22:33:26 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Aug-85 03:24:32 EDT
References: <409@brl-tgr.ARPA> <95@duvel.UUCP> <35@intelca.UUCP>
Organization: Lotus Development Corp
Lines: 43

Cliff Purkiser writes:

>... 
> Finally, and most important I want a money-back guarantee.  If I buy, a 
> kitchen appliance , a pair of pants, a set of Ginju knives advertised on TV,
> or almost anything else in America and I don't like it I can take it back
> and get my money back.  Why can't I do this for software?  
> 
> I believe that money-back guarantee are rare in software for several reasons.  
> Software houses, don't have faith in their products, they are too greedy,
> and finally they are afraid that people will buy it, copy it, and return it.  
> 

I left my flame-thrower at the office, so this will have to do:

I won't argue about the greed issue mentioned above, except to note
that low price software (<<$100) is being ripped of at the same rate
as more expensive software.

In regards to the trust issue, given the ease of copying disks, do
you really expect to get your money back once you have broken the
seal?  Give the vendor a secure enough system that he doesn't have
to fear being robbed (like the ADAPSO key/keyring system :-) and you
will see software returns/rentals/trials etc being accepted by many
vendors.  You may even see disks being given away (!!), but they
will either only run in a demo mode or be partially disabled until
you buy a key to unlock it.  (CD ROM makers - are you listening?)

I'll make you a deal, you give me your mastercard and i'll give you
my disk...i'll give you back your card, and you'll ignore the ink
impression marks, and i'll ignore the broken disk seal  :->


-- 
Opinions expressed are public domain, and do not belong to Lotus
Development Corp.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner

              {genrad|ihnp4|ima}!wjh12!talcott!sesame!slerner
                      {cbosgd|harvard}!talcott!sesame!slerner
                                slerner%sesame@harvard.ARPA