Re: ANN: Retiring from A2 world - Good Bye All!

[Stephen Shaw <stephen@apple2.org.invalid.za>]

On Thu, 6 Jun 2002 10:18:31 -0700, Steve Mentzer wrote:

>> Nathan Mates developed software! Joe Kohn sells the stuff! How is that
>> tearing down the community?
>
> Nathan mates and Joe Kohn (as well as some other A2 "dignitaries") did
> *everything* possible to take down online archives such as Asmiov, Ground,
> etc etc.
>
> There was a treasure trove of A2 software available, and yes, most of it
> was commercial work, and the reality was (and still is) that the original
> authors/publishers either didn't care about it anymore, or simply didn't
> exist!
>
> Yes, there were some titles that were still being distributed/sold via A2MG
> or Shareware Solutions. And yes, we all agreed that this was inappropriate.
>
> The problem was that Kohn and Mates took things to the extreme, and instead
> of simply asking for a copyrighted title to be removed from the archive
> (which the admin always agreed with), they attempted (and succeeded) in
> shutting down the archives using various methods.
>
> Now, there is something to be said for protecting your intellectual
> property. I agreed with Joe and Nathan 100% about the fact that stuff they
> sell/sold/distribute/developed should be available exactly as they choose.
> However, they attempted (and succeeded) in denying apple II users access to
> archives that they had no stake in.
>
> They chose to be the industry martyrs for long abandoned software. They
> didn't help the situation one bit. All they did was deny access to software
> that no one cares about. All in the name of "morality" and "law" and "doing
> the right thing".
>
>
>>
>> Your attitude shines through here, revealing:
>> 1) You think the A2 is dead regardless of what anyone does (fatalism)
>
>
> REALITY CHECK: It is.
>
> The Apple II is a labor of love. It is a commercially unviable product,
> with little or no major manufacturing support. The only remaining
> software/hardware development is occuring as the result of individual
> efforts.
>
> I don't have a IIgs because it performs better than my athlon box. It isn't
> easy tracking down replacement ROM1 or ROM3 mainboards when a ROM craps
> out. It isn't easy replacing the stock IIgs power supplies when they start
> chirping. I don't scour through thrift stores looking for accelerator and
> SCSI cards because I am cheap and want to save  a buck.
>
<snip>

Oh, oh with an attitude like that the Apple II will wither and die. To burn a
new ROM is quick work these days, so, don't let that stop you from buying a GS.



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