Re: Someone know R&R software from Dorval ?

[et472@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black)]

Mark Percival (markREMOVE@syndicomm.com) writes:
> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003, "Felix" <felix@aei.ca> wrote:
> 
>>1985's years in Dorval R&R software selling apple II games, someone have
>>ever go there ? what happen with his company ?
> 
> Dorval is a suburb of Montreal in Quebec.  I knew R&R Software well
> because it was located right next door to where my father (an myself
> during the summer) worked.  The guy who ran the pace (I forget his
> name) was the sort of person who was into anything that he figured was
> going to make money fast.  Before computers he was running a wholesale
> carpet place.  One summer day I went into work to find he was getting
> out of the carpet business and renovating his whole operation to sell
> computer hardware and software.  Apparently he discovered that while
> Canadian law prohibited software piracy you could easily get around
> this by declaring yourself a "computer club" and allow your software
> library to be shared with the members.  I think he charged $5 or $10
> per diskette of what was basically pirated software right down to the
> pirate's banners still on the software.  
> 
> Not only did he sell software but he also sold the Microcom Apple II
> clone in the Montreal area.  He must have done well with these since a
> lot of my friends owned them back then.  These clones were
> significantly cheaper than buying real Apple II hardware.  I remember
> it being a real busy place in the evenings and weekends to the point
> where you could hardly get in.
> 
> I don't know what happened to it but I suspect that once the laws were
> fixed to prohibit this sort of operation, he just dumped the computer
> business and went into something else.  That was just the sort of
> person he was.
> 
That was such an odd, and interesting period.  For a long time, there
was an ad in the tv guide that came with the Gazette that was advertising
Radio Shack Color Computer software at great prices.  I sent off for
the catalog, and it was nothing but illegal copies.  I'm not suprised
that a place was selling illegal copies, but I thought it was absurd
that the Gazette was running the ad, especially when they'd run anti-bootleg
editorials at the same time.

But then there was also the whole clone industry.  There were a bunch of
those stores, and there seemed to be even more in Toronto, selling nothing
but prebuilt Apple clones, and the parts and boards to build them yourself.
These were common places, and they were the ones making inroads, because it
was really before the time of computers being for big retailers.  And then
it all dried up, and computers were just another appliance.

I remember when the first Compucentre opened here in Montreal, I think in
the fall of 1976 but maybe a year later.  I saw the name, and though "Wow,
we've finally got a computer store!".  I rush right down, and was immediately
disappointed to find that it was full of calculators and tv games, but little
or no computers.  Clearly, they were planning ahead so too that name, but
felt it was too early to actually sell computers.

Even when we did get a real computer store here, that was the fall of 1977,
the place was virtually empty every time I went in, for a long time.  

   Michael