taylor@hplabsc.UUCP (02/10/87)
I think that you have misunderstood what is happening with the possible demise of shareware. It is due to the growth of a third type of software writer who has much more in common with the commercial philosophy than with the community philosophy. We already know two types of software authors very well: - The monetary megalomainiacs, (much reviled by Stallman) - The software should be free or `FSF' types, (typified by Stallman) The shareware authors can best be described as sharing the commercial goals of the monetary megalomaniacs, but lacking the megalomania. They quite obviously do not share the `FSF' attitude at all. The very reason that they may cease writing shareware is that they are not getting the income from users that they expected. If they shared the `FSF' attitude, this would not bother them. In fact, they find it completely unacceptable. What these authors seem to want is the creation of an environment similar to that in the regular publishing industry. They want to be authors. This means that if they write a string of best sellers they get rich. If they write a steady flow of ordinary sellers, they can live on the resulting income. And if, like most authors, they only write a few good pieces they will get some income but need to keep a regular job to stay warm and fed. I hope they succeed. I personally have much more in common with their attitude towards intellectual property than with the FSF, and they lack the megalomania that makes the major commmercial software operations so dislikable. There is also other evidence that this evolution may succeed. When the initial Borland Turbo-Pascal came out at $99 it was a major shock to the industry. Few could believe the price. Now, a quick survey of the magazines reveals dozens of good quality software products selling for under $100. I found several professional C compilers, numerous support utilities, and various library packages all selling for a reasonable cost. The size of the PC market is now large enough, and the manufacturing cost for software is low enough, that software can be a commercial success when sold with pricing like a hardcover book. Rob Horn