Re: Nathan and the Apple Community.

[songman@intac.com (Robert Liptak)]

     Everyone is responding to the reasons why Nathan Mates left the 
Apple II community and to me the point is mute since he already has done it. 
Everyone keeps talking about their opinions wheather they feel his reasons
were justified or that he responded irrationally but in the end a person has 
a right to do whatever he wants to. Yes it is sad that he choose to leave 
when he is a very talented programmer and did lots for the Apple II community. 
It is ashame he felt that noone appreciated his work when the opposite if 
true. He did raise some very good topics and issues facing the Apple II 
community. The only thing I didn't like is the way he stated that the 
Apple II community didn't care about facing these topics or issues and 
things that need to be addressed by the Apple II Community.
    I am concerned and mad about people who commit piratecy and just 
think every program written for the Apple II computers is public domain 
just because Apple no longer supports the line. Even when certain companies
are still making new software available and are still supporting their
software. As for the examples like Proterm 3.1 and AppleWorks 5.1 being
loaded up to an archive when the people who did so knew darn well that this
software was still commercially available and supported. This was truely
unexcusable. As Nathan's view he feels the whole Apple II community doesn't
care about the pirating that currently goes on. Even if I or the Apple II 
community feel it is wrong what can we do to make it stop people who pirate
just ignore everyone anyway and the only way you could do something is by
taking legal action. It is only the company, person, or whoever has bought
the rights to the software program that has the right to take legal action
against these people that commit piratecy. If there was something that 
everyone can really do to stop software piratecy let it be known because 
most people really don't know what to do. Only the companies and people 
who still write and support software programs for the Apple II computers
are the only ones that can do anything legally as well. What do we do 
about the programs that are no longer supported by the companies or person
that made it. As with the company they may no longer be in business and 
noone picked up the rights to the software. When even though the comany my 
be defunct the person or whomever owned the company still has the rights 
and you still need to get permission to distribute the software in anyway.
Maybe the software or even hardware companies who are still in business 
should pick up these programs and make them available and if they want to 
choose to further development is they have enough response by people by 
them then they would if they wanted to. This has not been the case and 
companies or peoplehave only have picked rights to certain programs. 
Leaving alot of programs only to be bought used from the CSA2 marketplace.
Some people believe that the programs that are not supported or made
available commercially or by personal means should be uploaded to archives
for prosperity so we don't loose these programs but if this were to be 
done ot should be the concensus of the Apple II community. 
	As for Nathan biggest pet peeave is what can we do about the 
pirates that are a cancer in the Apple II community. Like I said even if 
we band together as a whole in the Apple II community no matter what we 
could do would not stop the pirates since they are going to do what they 
are doing no matter what people say. Beyond prosecuting them through the 
courts there is nothing you could truely do. I do have a sugesstion an
idea how to discourage people who pirate programs.

					A Loyal Apple IIGS Users