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From: alms@cambridge.apple.com (Andrew L. M. Shalit)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Allegro Common Lisp licensing fees
Message-ID: 
Date: 30 Aug 89 20:14:50 GMT
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In-reply-to: hallett@shoreland.uucp's message of 29 Aug 89 18:36:11 GMT


   >>The licensing is similar to MacApp.  I believe the cost is $100 per
   >>year.  This gives you the right to distribute as many copies of as
   >>many applications as you like.  Note that the applications do -not-
   >>include the compiler.  If you need to include the compiler, then
   >>you need to be a VAR, with more complicated contracts and terms.

   >Ok, this may be a dumb question, but, how are they gonna know?

How are they going to know what?
  1) That you're distributing applications?  They won't know, but if you
     do it without paying the $100, you're breaking the law.  (It's the
     same deal as LSP software having to acknowledge that it was written in
     LSP.)
  2) Know whether the compiler is included?  It's simple:  when you
     make a stand-alone application, the compiler is automatically
     removed.

   >Isn't this really kinda ridiculous?  Apple wants people to write
   >software for the Macintosh, but they charge people liscensing fees to
   >use their compilers and skeletons.
   >[various extended flames about Apple selfishness deleted]

When Macintosh Allegro Common Lisp was sold by Coral (i.e. before
Apple purchased it), the licensing fees were much higher.  The
cost was between $30 and $60 for every copy of your application which
you sold or gave away.  When Apple purchased the Lisp, they lowered
the price, bundled in some tools which Coral had sold as add-ons, and
lowered the licensing cost to a  annual fee.

As a point of reference, most other Common Lisp vendors (Sun, Lucid,
Gold Hill), charge a per-copy fee for run-time licences.  Apple has
one of the lowest costs in the business, if not the lowest.  They
mostly just want acknowledgment

 -andrew

Disclaimer:  I used to work for Coral, now I work for Apple, I wish
everything was free and no one had to earn a living, and my opinions
are my own, not my companies.