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Re: German CD-ROM (Was: Re: Addressing home-made adapter cards)

In article <3blfmo$c37@crl.crl.com>, Joe Kohn <joko@crl.com> wrote:
>Quite simply, they need to be very specific about re-distribution. If it's
>OK with them for user groups to re-distribute their software, they need to
>say so. Or, they need to say something like "disks containing this software
>may be distributed just as long as no more than $x is charged." If they
>don't want their software to be included on CD-ROM collections, they need
>to say so.

   In other words, I need to protect myself against my stuff being
passed around on any form of media, be it CDRom, 3.5", electronic,
Floptical, binary printouts, etc? Sorry, but I'll take the opposite
course: if I say "charge no more than $5 for this software", it
doesn't matter what medium, it's the charge of $5 for getting a copy
of it.

   Back to the CDRom issue... For quite a while, I had the $5 limit
on transferring my stuff around. But, I realized that CDRoms would
be the archive of choice for most communities, and added a section
saying that CDRoms were fine. (The odds of making a CDRom with only
my programs on it and charging $45 is pretty ridiculous. But, there's
a sucker born any minute, and the CDRoms are on a christmas sale for
$29.95 :)

   In things not specified in the documentation (like trying to put a
no more than $5 program on a CDRom), asking is a very, very good thing
to do. Too bad nobody's ever asked me anything, but I'd be willing to
bet at least one of my things is on a CDRom somewhere.

   Anyone even thinking of distributing a CDRom, please, please ask
about software. We're honored that our stuff is being published, and
would gladly agree if we're notified first.

Nathan Mates
-- 
* Nathan Mates   http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~nathan/               *
* Ftp humor archiver: ftp to cco.caltech.edu, look in pub/humor     *
* "Always listen to experts. They'll tell what can't be done, and   *
*  why. Then do it."  -- Robert A. Heinlein, Lazarus Long           *