Re; GS WEb, tcp/ip and other net software for GS

[e@prc.org]

I rarely contribute to threads that get negative, as this one has, but
I'm disturbed to see someone criticized for a few offhand, possibly
innocent words, which I could easily have made myself.  The poster in
question suggested that she might buy GNO--or that someone might give
it to her.  The suggestion that the software be given away might have
been a joke.  That's how I took it when I first read it.  Or, the
poster may have been hoping to buy, legitimately but at a minimal
price, a used GNO floppy with the expectation that the seller destroy
any copies, whether on floppies or a hard disk.  From the original
poster's tone, she knows as I do, that an updated version of GNO is
unlikely to be offered at a song on comp.sys.apple2.marketplace
anytime soon.

Commercial Apple II software vendors are not operating charities and
should set whatever selling price seems likely to generate the highest
revenue stream.  That revenue stream will not be princely.  But piracy
has only a little to do with it.  At this point, buyers of new Apple
II software, especially stuff that only runs on the GS, are too
geographically scattered for the kind of face to face contacts that
used to facilitate wholesale Apple II software piracy.  The reason you
can't get rich off of Apple II software is that not enough people
still use Apple II computers, and most of them aren't interested in
anything new.  Most of the few who might buy new software are still
with the II because they can't afford to spend a lot on computing.

Unfortunately, there's very little that this newsgroup (or, for that
matter, law enforcement) can do about pirating of currently marketed
Apple II software.  But here's an idea.  Let's try to assume the best
about each other, only bringing up piracy/shareware fee issues in the
context of tactfully introducing new members of our community to the
community's values, while always talking as if all of us want to do
the right thing.  This may not reduce piracy, but at least we won't
drive away potential friends and customers.

Steve Eisenberg      Pennsylvania, U.S.A.      e@prc.org

P.S.  I know that I have, alas, violated my our principles by
implicitly criticizing at least two previous posters in this thread.
I hope it is not taken personally because the views I am questioning
are probably held by most software publishers and shareware authors.
Over the years, I have seen many distinguished members of the Apple II
community fight software piracy in precisely the vigorous manner I am
opposing.  I've thought several times of writing something like this
post and it's only the luck of the draw that this was the thread I
decided to try it on.