Re: trading policy for IIe

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Jeff Blakeney responded:

>On 11 Jun 2002 01:24:10 GMT, mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) wrote:
>
>>In both of these cases, Jeff, the only reason that a person would
>>buy the new stuff is because it is a sufficient advance over what
>>is already available that it warrants buying.  This is a sane policy.
>>
>>There is no merit in simply encouraging development of the same
>>functionality over and over.  The point of new development is that it
>>offers new functionality.
>>
>>In the event that a developer offers a piece of software that does
>>something that a sufficient number of people need (because they
>>can't already do it with existing software), for a price that they are
>>willing to pay, then he or she is in business.
>
>I agree and that is where the problem of having older software being
>made available illegally comes in.  Current developers have to write
>software that does more than what any previously available commercial
>title did because people can just download an illegal copy of the
>older software rather than getting the new software.
>
>This is why most Apple II development lately has been internet related
>because there is no existing Apple II software to do this and
>developers figure that their time is better spent working on this
>rather than spending their time writing something that many people
>already have either legal of illegal copies of that does the same type
>of thing.

That's just my point, Jeff.

There is no value in re-inventing the wheel, except the pleasure
and edification of the re-inventor.

The fact that the old software has no current economic value is
proof positive that new software with the same or less functionality
also has no economic value.

"Development" for its own sake is not a business--it's a
self-improvement program, or hobby.

-michael

 Email:  mjmahon@aol.com
 Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/