Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!cornell!batcomputer!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: "PD Piracy"
Message-ID: <2661@sugar.uu.net>
Date: 21 Sep 88 01:18:55 GMT
References: <8809201234.AA02448@decwrl.dec.com>
Organization: Sugar Land Unix - Houston, TX
Lines: 105

In article <8809201234.AA02448@decwrl.dec.com>, schabacker@frambo.dec.com
	(Tim, posting for CB) writes:
> I'll post my answer to Peter here:

OK. I'll answer it too. You seem like a nice guy, and I'm not trying to put
you down. I just want to put out a fire before it starts.

> The distressing factors are:

> 1. I receive my Fish disks directly from Fred, and glady pay my $5
> per disk, since I get them as soon as they're available AND via
> AirMail for that price. And don't forget that Fred usually does more
> than grab "prepared" work and puts it on his disks.

So, you're willing to pay more for Fred's disks because they have added
value...

> 2. Compared to most other PD distributors in W. Germany, they take
> TWICE the price...

... and these people seem to be able to sell disks at this price. I wonder
why...

> 3. These 46 offered programs are exactly the same they describe in
> their "Das zweite Amiga Public Domain Buch". This book features a
> German translation and description of the documentation to that
> programs.

... and here's the explanation: there is added value. These disks represent
a collection that matches a book they wrote.  It's worth that money for people
to get the collection in one place.

> This product costs about $25, which I can tolerate, since
> there is actual work (translation) involved.

Very noble of you to let them earn money for translating dozens, if not
hundreds, of documents. I'd love a copy of the Browser docs in German.

> [It] simply makes me puke if some a**hole makes a quick (big) buck with
> the work of others.

But they've done the work: collecting these programs and translating their
documentation. Why shouldn't they be entitled to return on their investment?
And I really really doubt they're making big bucks. Fred sure isn't.

> To quote Peter's Browser documentation:
> "Browser version 1.2, copyright 1987, 1988 by Peter da Silva.
>  Binary redistribution permitted at no charge."
>                                     ^^^^^^^^^

And I doubt that they would cut the price of the book or disks any if they
left my software off them. Hmmm... that should read '1.3'. I hope they have
the right version.

> Alas this probably means that Peter wants no money for Browser,

Oh, I want money for it. I doubt I'll get any, though. If you'd like to
send me some I'll be happy to take it.

> charging anything more than the reproduction costs for that program
> strikes me as highly immoral.

Are you saying that it's not worth any more than the disk it's on? I'm
insulted...

No, I'm just pulling your leg. It's nice of you to get hot under the
collar on my behalf, but really I don't mind all this attention at all.
I'm flattered.

> 	- Nobody except the authors are allowed to gain any profit by
> 	  using and/or distributing this program. This includes the 
> 	  duplication of commercial disks.

So, let the authors take it up with the company doing the work.

>                Organizations
>                charging more  than a  total of  $5.00 postpaid for the
>                disk(s)  containing   AmigaZoo   are   prohibited  from
>                distributing AmigaZoo.

There's that $5 again.

> Needless to say that since I own two hard disks, my four disk drives
> are usually copying Fish disks for all my fellow brewers and friends
> FOR FREE. Even for individuals I don't know or like. 

And Hackercorp is paying uunet connect charges to maintain alt.sources.amiga.
But just because people are motivated by other things than money (don't think
us selfless for running alt.sources.amiga... we're not), doesn't make people
working from the profit motive evil. It's the profit motive that makes things
like the Amiga possible. Oh, sure, the people who designed it are great guys
who were motivated by the thought of a job well done, but how many Amigas do
you think would have come out if they had to wire every one?

> Enough of this, my stomach hurts. :-(

I'm sorry. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths. Your heart is in the right
place, but you need a sense of perspective. Have some fairy cake.

Try putting the GNU manifesto on the shelf and paging through some L. Neil
Smith or Murray Rothbard. Read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance.
If you can find some early Heinlein, take a break with it.
-- 
		Peter da Silva  `-_-'  peter@sugar.uu.net
		 Have you hugged  U  your wolf today?