🚀 go-pugleaf

In a message of 26 Mar 96 "jolyon Ralph" wrote to All:

 jR> But it wasn't the big killer for professional Amiga software though
 jR> (and  I know several people here will strongly disagree with this), the
 jR> big  killer for professional Amiga software was the magazines giving
 jR> away  full-priced products (eg Imagine 2) on their coverdisks.

Disagree indeed. This happens in the PC/Mac world too, and those
companies certainly don't go all bust.

The big killer for Amiga software design and for the Amiga in
general, was this one man called Mehdi Ali.

Mismanagement is what ultimately hampered Amiga development, not
coverdisks. These only came into play when the Amiga market got
smaller - when the damage had already been done.

Besides, no company is obliged to offer its software to magazines.
If they can still make money off it, they certainly won't take
it to a magazine. So I doubt there's much money lost on
older programs that make it onto a coverdisk.

 jR> The whole industry suffered. People will happily put up with an old
 jR> (but  functional) Word Processsor rather than buy a new one.

If it works for them, why not? Just to keep developer's pockets
filled? That's not the consumer's job.

 jR> made  worthless once the product appears on a magazine, and people
 jR> aren't even  buying new products - waiting instead for the inevitable
 jR> coverdisk  release. 

I doubt this, since one never knows if some program is going to
make it onto a coverdisk in the first place.

 jR> Apart from short-term benefits from upgrade sales to the companies 
 jR> offering the free coverdisk program, and to the magazines in increased 

...And the magazine doesn't have to pay anything to put the program
on the cover in the first place? Hm.

Regards, Ruud
rdingem@grafix.xs4all.nl

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