declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) (12/19/90)
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HOW TO GET YOUR FREE COPY OF LOTUS IMPROV
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WHAT IS THE OFFER?
Buy a new NeXT computer or purchase an upgrade for your current NeXT
Computer before December 31, 1990 and receive a free copy of Lotus
Improv. (Retail price $695)
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Any person who purchases a NeXTstation, NeXTstation Color, NeXTcube,
NeXTdimension (complete system only) or a 68040 upgrade board by
December 31, 1990 is eligible for this offer.
You must have your order in by December 31, 1990. If you receive your
product after December 31, 1990, you will still receive Improv free.
HOW DO I GET MY FREE IMPROV?
To get a free copy of Lotus Improv, individuals need to register their
purchase within 30 days of receiving their new product.
You will receive your copy of Improv directly from NeXT.
Lotus is expected to begin shipping Improv in February 1991. Once
NeXT receives the registration card, you will receive a letter
confirming that you will be receiving a copy of Improv. All
distribution of the application will be on floppy disks.
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DISCLAIMER: I do not speak for NeXT Computer, Inc. I'm merely passing
on potentially valuable information.
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Hope this clears up some questions...
Declan McCullagh
Independent NeXT Developergarnett@cs.utexas.edu (John William Garnett) (12/19/90)
In article <Dec.18.22.26.10.1990.27177@remus.rutgers.edu> declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes: > >HOW DO I GET MY FREE IMPROV? > > All distribution of the application will be on floppy disks. > This is great! Talk about abandoning existing customers... So, for those 030 cube owners who go the upgrade route (and of course who do not have a floppy drive), the only way to install Lotus Improv is to copy it from another machine having an optical or from a machine on the Ethernet (assuming you are lucky enough to have access to another cube via a network). Even these methods probably won't work if Improv uses some kind of CPU serial number copy protection. So, I guess the message from NeXT to 030 cube owners is: "If you want a free copy of Improv, go chunk down some cash ($499?) for a floppy drive." Perhaps I should join the boycotters :-). Unfortunately, this is probably just the beginning of a trend. -- John Garnett University of Texas at Austin garnett@cs.utexas.edu Department of Computer Science Austin, Texas
declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) (12/19/90)
In article <1033@tokio.cs.utexas.edu>, garnett@cs.utexas.edu (John William Garnett) writes: > In article <Dec.18.22.26.10.1990.27177@remus.rutgers.edu> declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes: > > > >HOW DO I GET MY FREE IMPROV? > > > > All distribution of the application will be on floppy disks. > > This is great! Talk about abandoning existing customers... > > So, for those 030 cube owners who go the upgrade route (and of course > who do not have a floppy drive), the only way to install Lotus Improv > is to copy it from another machine having an optical or from a machine > on the Ethernet (assuming you are lucky enough to have access to > another cube via a network). Even these methods probably won't work > if Improv uses some kind of CPU serial number copy protection. So, > I guess the message from NeXT to 030 cube owners is: "If you want > a free copy of Improv, go chunk down some cash ($499?) for a floppy > drive." Perhaps I should join the boycotters :-). Unfortunately, > this is probably just the beginning of a trend. You have a point; it is probably the beginning of a trend. However, I don't think that NeXT is "abandoning" their existing customers. * Distribution on ODs has proven to be too costly, and only a very small portion of new machines will have the Canon drive. * Floppies seem to be the software distribution method of choice for NeXT and third parties (remember the agreement with DiskCopy Labs?). I'd imagine the primary reason NeXT moved to the 2.88 MB drive was to provide better and cheaper third-party distribution techniques (especially with the new cost of ODs). * Pushing the Canon drive on customers, especially as their primary storage device, has been one of the few - but major - errors NeXT has made. They admit that, and there's little sense in gratuitous NeXT-bashing. For instance, in a letter that went out to all third party developers, NeXT basically said this: the price and speed of currently available optical technology just didn't drop and grow (respectively) as quickly as NeXT had wished. * I've seen prerelease copies of Improv for a while now, and none has had any sort of serial-number protection, so please don't start any rumors or spread any misinformation. Unfortunately, that's the way things go in the computer industry. NeXT, as the dominant player in the NeXT community, is able to set and change standards, but this is a doubly-edged sword, as new standards can be embraced more easily, but existing owners can be left out in the cold unless an upgrade path is provided. In this case, it has been. (though a rather expensive one) $-( Basically, the same thing happened with the Macintosh. In moving from the 400K to the 800K drive media (first introduced with the 512KE, no?), software houses knew that the Mac owners with only a 400K drive would not be able to read their software. The reason they could do this, though, was that the installed base of 400K drive-sporting Macintoshes was significantly less than the installed base of 800K drive-equipped ones. Of course, the situation is a bit different, and - agreed - it would be _very_ nice if Lotus would let you send in your OD to receive Improv. Perhaps someone at Lotus will see this and reconsider. Declan McCullagh Independent NeXT Developer
herndon@sctc.com (William R. Herndon) (12/19/90)
declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes: >Lotus is expected to begin shipping Improv in February 1991. Once >NeXT receives the registration card, you will receive a letter >confirming that you will be receiving a copy of Improv. All >distribution of the application will be on floppy disks. Does this mean that those of us who don't have 2.8 Mb floppy drives are out in the cold? I have an 030 Cube with opitical and a Pacific Micro. floppy. What do I have to do to get my copy of Improv? - Max ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William R. Herndon Secure Computing Technology Corp. The opinions expressed are mine, ALL MINE! HEH, HEH, herndon@sctc.com HEH, HEH!!! (612) 482-7431
matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) (12/19/90)
In article <1033@tokio.cs.utexas.edu> garnett@cs.utexas.edu (John William Garnett) writes: >This is great! Talk about abandoning existing customers... I thought the Improv free upgrade was targetted at new NeXT releases, which I believe all come with a floppy drive. Could be wrong, though. However. The optical drive just plain isn't suited for media distribution in such small measures (small compared to 256M). You could either ask NeXT or Lotus if they'd be willing to give you an OD with it, for the price of the OD at least, *or* you could easily gain access to a floppy-bearing NeXT via the net... It isn't the perfect solution, but perfection is hard to come by. >John Garnett ------ Mike Matthews, matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu (NeXT)/matthews@umdd (bitnet) ------ Heaven: A place where the wicked cease from troubling you with talk of their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention while you expound your own.
wln@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (William L Nussbaum) (12/19/90)
In article <1033@tokio.cs.utexas.edu> garnett@cs.utexas.edu (John William Garnett) writes: >In article <Dec.18.22.26.10.1990.27177@remus.rutgers.edu> declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes: >> >>HOW DO I GET MY FREE IMPROV? >> >> All distribution of the application will be on floppy disks. >> > >This is great! Talk about abandoning existing customers... > ... >I guess the message from NeXT to 030 cube owners is: "If you want >a free copy of Improv, go chunk down some cash ($499?) for a floppy >drive." Perhaps I should join the boycotters :-). Unfortunately, >this is probably just the beginning of a trend. ...it is, after all, free software. You can't exactly expect them to provide a now-$100 cartridge with it; I'd generally assume that your service provider (dealer, school, etc.) is supposed to move it to OD if it needs moving. I don't think that Lotus wants to take the risk of tracking 5000 ODs and misplacing even five. They have to go back out to the proper people, and that's too much work for a company practically giving away a product. And too risky if you upset someone. This is the sort of thing dealers are for; it's unfortunate that in some cases they don't handle this stuff properly, but they're supposed to. If you have a problem with getting your dealer to do it, then call Lotus and complain. Hopefully that won't be necessary, but... | William Lee Nussbaum, Jr. | wln@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu
herndon@sctc.com (William R. Herndon) (12/19/90)
herndon@sctc.com (William R. Herndon) writes: >declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes: >>Lotus is expected to begin shipping Improv in February 1991. Once >>NeXT receives the registration card, you will receive a letter >>confirming that you will be receiving a copy of Improv. All >>distribution of the application will be on floppy disks. > Does this mean that those of us who don't have 2.8 Mb floppy drives > are out in the cold? I have an 030 Cube with opitical and a Pacific > Micro. floppy. What do I have to do to get my copy of Improv? > - Max In answer to my own question, I called NeXT and was told by them that the distribution will be on 1.44 floppies! So I guess that those of us with one of the various makers floppy drives are OK ( for the moment ). - Max ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William R. Herndon Secure Computing Technology Corp. The opinions expressed are mine, ALL MINE! HEH, HEH, herndon@sctc.com HEH, HEH!!! (612) 482-7431
bell@pyro.ei.dupont.com (Mike Bell) (12/20/90)
In article <1033@tokio.cs.utexas.edu> garnett@cs.utexas.edu (John William Garnett) writes: >In article <Dec.18.22.26.10.1990.27177@remus.rutgers.edu> declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes: >> >>HOW DO I GET MY FREE IMPROV? >> >> All distribution of the application will be on floppy disks. >> > >This is great! Talk about abandoning existing customers... > >So, for those 030 cube owners who go the upgrade route (and of course >who do not have a floppy drive), the only way to install Lotus Improv >is to copy it from another machine having an optical or from a machine >on the Ethernet (assuming you are lucky enough to have access to >another cube via a network). Even these methods probably won't work >if Improv uses some kind of CPU serial number copy protection. So, >I guess the message from NeXT to 030 cube owners is: "If you want >a free copy of Improv, go chunk down some cash ($499?) for a floppy >drive." Perhaps I should join the boycotters :-). Unfortunately, >this is probably just the beginning of a trend. > >-- >John Garnett > University of Texas at Austin >garnett@cs.utexas.edu Department of Computer Science > Austin, Texas Yes..I am kind of bummed about this too. A year or so ago, the optical drive was used as a key selling point of the machine. Now I guess that it is seen as a mistake, and I have to go buy a floppy drive if I want to use any new commercial software...including the "free" copy of Mathematica that isn't done yet. NeXT includes a note with the upgrade kit saying that it would be sent out on FLOPPY when it is done. Sigh. Mike Bell -- ******************************************************************************** Mike Bell Internet: bell@opus.wizards.dupont.com Senior Engineer CSNet: BELLMA%ESVAX@dupont.com DuPont CR&D Applelink: D2747 Advanced Computer Technology Group MacBLITZ..... When you feel the need for speed.......... ******************************************************************************** --
minich@d.cs.okstate.edu (Robert Minich) (12/20/90)
by declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ): | * Distribution on ODs has proven to be too costly, and only a | very small portion of new machines will have the Canon drive. | | * Floppies seem to be the software distribution method of choice for | NeXT and third parties (remember the agreement with DiskCopy Labs?). | I'd imagine the primary reason NeXT moved to the 2.88 MB drive was to | provide better and cheaper third-party distribution techniques | (especially with the new cost of ODs). [...] | Basically, the same thing happened with the Macintosh. In moving from | the 400K to the 800K drive media (first introduced with the 512KE, | no?), software houses knew that the Mac owners with only a 400K drive | would not be able to read their software. The reason they could do | this, though, was that the installed base of 400K drive-sporting | Macintoshes was significantly less than the installed base of 800K | drive-equipped ones. Of course, the situation is a bit different, | and - agreed - it would be _very_ nice if Lotus would let you send in | your OD to receive Improv. The Mac change from 400K to 800K wasn't really quite the same. If you had access to a Mac that could read an 800K disk (like at the corner dealer... for NexT that's about 3hrs round trip...) you had a Mac that could copy the files to a 400K disk. With the NeXT scenario, even if you have access to a floppy-capable NeXT, you still have to get the info from there to _your_ machine somehow. Not everybody is on a reasonable net or can copy things via uucp or such things. NeXT just screwed up by not including a floppy of some sort on the original machine. (IMHO, of course.) -- |_ /| | Robert Minich | |\'o.O' | Oklahoma State University| "I'm a newcomer here, but does the |=(___)= | minich@d.cs.okstate.edu | net ever lay any argument to rest?" | U | - Ackphtth | -- dan herrick
jmann@angmar.sw.stratus.com (Jim Mann) (12/21/90)
In article <1990Dec19.175321.13013@pyro.ei.dupont.com>, bell@pyro.ei.dupont.com (Mike Bell) writes: |> Yes..I am kind of bummed about this too. A year or so ago, the optical |>drive was used as a key selling point of the machine. Now I guess that it is |>seen as a mistake, and I have to go buy a floppy drive if I want to use |>any new commercial software...including the "free" copy of Mathematica that |>isn't done yet. NeXT includes a note with the upgrade kit saying that it would |>be sent out on FLOPPY when it is done. Sigh. |> I don't think it is viewed as a mistake in all respects. In fact, in most ways it is a great idea. It is just a bad way to distribute software. 256 M and $100 is just overkill when you have a meg or two of files to give/get. Jim Mann Stratus Computer jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com