BHUBER@ECLA.USC.EDU (12/27/87)
It has been my experience that little software pirating went on in the computer dealers I frequented. These have been primarily Apple oriented enterprises since that is the hardware I use. Some of the computer stores frequented are "bi-vendored" (Apple and the other company I can't recall at this time). I am not saying that those dealers are pristinely pure, however. Whole new scene now: doing more checking for a pending PC Transporter, I learned that the "system" from Applied Engineering does NOT include the operating system; that must be purchased separately. So, yours truly spent some time yesterday driving around to a new genre of computer stores -- those that specialize in the other kind of machines or cloning said stuff. I was aghast at the rampant, blatantly open software copying. One store owner was candid in stating that he would not be in business if he did not provide "pre-loaded" hard disks on the machines he sold. I found it difficult to locate a legal copy (ie., unopened from the manufacturer) of MS-DOS. I don't consider myself a prude, and I certainly don't have my head stuck in the sand, but WOW! To add insult to depression, the fourth store didn't want to sell me a real copy of MS-DOS. He tried to make me feel like a misfit for considering doing things the way I do. Then I found out why -- MS-DOS, in the one store that actually had a legal copy, was on sale for $119.00! I could talk him down to $100.00; but that still is over 10% of the total hardware cost for a PC Transporter I am planning (fully loaded for a GS) -- just for the operating system. Shock and depression in one healthy dose! Maybe I just went to the "wrong" places (most of the "name" brand computer stores were closed yesterday). Bud
dr@ski.UUCP (David Robins) (12/31/87)
In article <> BHUBER@ECLA.USC.EDU writes: > >Then I found out why -- MS-DOS, in the one store that actually had a legal >copy, was on sale for $119.00! I could talk him down to $100.00; but that >still is over 10% of the total hardware cost for a PC Transporter I am >planning (fully loaded for a GS) -- just for the operating system. > >Shock and depression in one healthy dose! Maybe I just went to the "wrong" >places (most of the "name" brand computer stores were closed yesterday). I don't know why the above-mentioned cost seems so high. Operating systems are an expensive, integral part of any computer system. In the minicomputer world, operating systems can run into the few thousnad dollar range. -- -dave ==================================================================== David Robins, M.D. (ophthalmologist / electronics engineer) Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Foundation (previously known as: Smith-Kettlewell Institute of Visual Sciences) 2232 Webster St; San Francisco CA 94115 415/561-1705 (voice) {ihnp4,qantel,dual}!ptsfa!ski!dr The opinions expressed herein do not reflect the opinion of the Institute!