cmcdonal@wsmr-emh10.army.mil (Chris McDonald ASQNC-TWS-RA) (09/21/89)
I think David Gursky overlooked the "subtle" point of Mr. McAfee's posting. If indeed Centel is charging customers $25.00 for VIRUSCAN and claims that it is losing money, then something SMELLS. I registered my copy of VIRUSCAN with Mr. McAfee's company for $15.00. More importantly, while the VIRUSCAN program is shareware, it does have a copyright. The legal advice I received was that, if a shareware package has a copyright and if the author states that a fee or registration payment is required, then I as a govenment employee was legally bound to pay the fee. If individuals are familiar with VIRUSCAN, the wording on payment is direct and to the point. It is not one of those "pay if you like type of requests." I think it may also be argued that, if Mr. McAfee wanted to ensure a financial "killing" for a product which has had several independent verifications as to its effectiveness, then he would not have made it so readily available over BBSs and the INTERNET in general. Chris Mc Donald White Sands Missile Range