Re: Different Idea... (WAS Re: Net piracy?)

[mnementh@netcom.com (David R. Villegas)]

tolsen@netcom.com (Terry R. Olsen) wrote:
>Tim Haynes (thaynes@maplesoft.on.ca) wrote:
>
>: Here's an idea...
>
>: What if I am using my Apple II to do some actual business, like some
>: financial stuff.  And, one day, looking through my Nibble archive, I see
>: this advert for a program that does everything I need.  Wow!  So, I call the
>: 1-800 number to order it.  
>
>: Whups -- it's out of circulation.  The software company went belly-up, and
>: there is no software order place in existence that will sell this thing to me.
>: I try to pick it up on comp.sys.apple2.marketplace, but nobody's willing to
>: part with theirs.  What do I do?

Since Apple II's are out of circulation more or less, one solution is to buy
a currently produced and supported computer system.  It's not _impossible_
to find a computer with financial software.

Apple II products are rapidly becoming collectors' items.  It took me over a
year to track down and actually be the high bidder for a video overlay card.
Obtaining used software isn't as hard (I still want Ultima I and II!) if you
start dialing up used computer stores or post a wanted request on
comp.sys.apple2.marketplace.


>There is such a thing as being TOO "by the book".  Say a neighbor friend 
>of mine picked up an old Apple //e at a flea market.  He has no software 
>for it but has went to a used computer store and bought some second hand 
>software for it.  He comes over to my house and watches me play Leisure 
>Suit Larry.  He checks the store and they don't have it.  He calls Sierra 
>and they don't sell it anymore.  After exausting all possible "legal" 
>ways to obtain this software, he comes to me and asks if he can copy 
>mine.  What am I to say?  "Sorry, Bud...you're just S.O.L."

In this case, doing something hush hush is one thing but claiming it's legal
is another.
(tsk tsk- letting that neighbor kid play Leisure Suit Larry ;-)

The same thing happens all the time when I need an out-of-print book or
journal for a research paper.  But I'm not going to stay in the univ. library
pouring through all the pages (especially with my high-lighting pens) when
there's a photocopying machine nearby.  Fair use of the material for a project
is one thing but I'm not going to trek back to the library whenever I need to
look up a casual reference for my own interests.  And I'd be really tempted
to copy the Hypercard IIGS Script Guide or the first issue of Nibble.


But here are more points to ponder:

I was just playing a Steve Martin album on my 8-track player.  Can I argue
that it's legal or moral for me to copy copyrighted 8-tracks since I've
exhausted all possible ways to get new/used ones?  (I prefer compact discs
anyway.)

This analogy comes to mind because Leisure Suit Larry and some of the items
listed in the Cassandra directory are currently still available on other types
of computers.  And financial and other productivity software is trivial to
find on other computers as well.


Are out-of-print items public domain or are they now just collectors' items?
Comic books and baseball cards become out-of-print rapidly.  But I don't think
someone could justify reproducing the comics and cards and distributing the
reproductions.

Perhaps enough demand could cause some Apple software to go back in print.
Then again, there's a lot of demand for comics and cards and after the
publisher has decided to stop making reprints, supply and demand become more
prominent and the prices of some items rise.  You _can_ still buy Leisure
Suit Larry.  I have a copy sitting on my shelf.  But since it's one of the
Apple items I'd like to keep, I'm not going to sell it for a reasonable
price.  But finding a high enough offer for me still is a legal way of
obtaining the software.


At least there's the potential that Apple software will go into public
domain or can be released as low-priced compilations (CD-ROM anyone?).
Is there a way we can redirect all this energy spent arguing about piracy
towards the Lost Classics project?

-- 
David Villegas  (ENTP)                                     mnementh@netcom.com
San Francisco, CA                                   villegas@csli.stanford.edu
Hypercard is neither hyper nor a card.  Discuss.