Support versus Bug Fixes (Was: Can't backup to floppy)

[Dimitri Rotow]

In article <14632 at agate.BERKELEY.EDU>, ked at garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) writes:

> Not only do software outfits shove this kind of thing down your throat,
> some have the audacity to try to collect royalties on what you do with
> what you've bought or tell you when or where or when you can use it. As
> an academic who teaches courses in [Japanese] business history, I've

I don't like this sort of thing either (continuing royalties on compiler
use, etc), but it *is* their property.  Are you going to have the "audacity"
to try to tell people what they should do with copies of your next book?  How
will you feel if someone buys a copy of your book, and then reprints it for
commercial sale?  How about if some schlock, no-name, non-accredited, 
advertise-on-the-back-of-a-match-book, correspondance school 
starts selling video tapes of you doing your Japanese business history thing
that were taken by one of *your* students, who duly signed up and attended
*your* lectures?

Have faith in the free market!  Excesses tend to get corrected.  Diverse
products tend to spring up for diverse needs (CP/M, DOS, OS/2 ....).

Dimitri Rotow     [Steve Dyer and I have agreed to change places this week
		   for the most continuous followups to related postings.
		   By mutual agreement, we're not cross posting this stuff
		   to comp.unix.xenix no matter how much those "zealots"
		   ( :) to qoute a memorable former posting) might be 
		   interested in these grave social matters.  
		   Let's keep the flames up high, as I am on vacation next
		   week....]

PS  -- I really do hate that continuing royalty thing and will never buy such
a compiler.