🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3895@isgtec.isgtec.com> ken@isgtec.com (Ken Newman) writes:
>In article <1gm1j5INN1dsn@rs1.rrz.Uni-Koeln.DE> kim@vax.mpiz-koeln.mpg.dbp.de writes:
>> <blah blah>
>> Now, an increased percentage of people from  an  user
>> base  of  increased size call your hotline, and the wires of your
>> phone will glow so brightly you even can  spare  light  bulbs  in
>> your  house  :-).  Charging for calling the hotline will probably
>> turn out to be a real gold mine, <blah blah>
>
>Umm, don't you suppose the only reason people are calling that helpline
>is because it's free? Charging for it will just make the calls dry up
>completely. The unbelievable nerve and stupidity of these idiots
>asking for free support for a program they ripped off. Just reinforces
>the old salesman's adage, never underestimate the stupidity of the
>"customer".

In light of the FACT that people are going to pirate software, moral
or immoral, is it not sensible to try to come up with SOME sort of
alternative means of getting paid?

One solid FACT is the fact that for many pieces of software, customers
are NOT primarily paying for the development cost, but rather for
CONTINUING SUPPORT.  (I did NOT say "for ALL software".  I said "for
MANY pieces of software".)

Moreover, in such cases, the fees charged tend to be HIGHER than those
charged for "Mass Market" stuff.



-- 
Christopher Browne                |     PGP 2.0 key available
cbbrowne@csi.uottawa.ca           |===================================
University of Ottawa              |  The Personal Computer:  Colt 45
Master of System Science Program  |  of the Information Frontier