Michael,
I appologize. My statement about free software was incomplete. I
was thinking along the lines of the "no free lunch" theory. Someone
pays, the question is whom and for how long? I was thinking of the
Catch-3000 situation whereas users criticise the HP 3000 platform for
not having enought more "free" functionality (on the FOS tape) yet are
willing to replace their '3000s with systems costing far, far more.
I want to correct a much more dangerous misconception, to wit:
"Actually, newspaper and magazine publishers make money selling
advertising,
not selling subscriptions. They charge you for a subscription because
advertising rates are based on the number of subscribers, and paid
subscribers count *way* more than free subscribers."
Of course publishers do make money on subscriptions -- the issue is
one of the ratio of subscription to advertising income. In general,
the larger the publication, the less important the subscription
income. (Also observe the the depth of coverage in publications such
as Computer World.) For small, technical publications the
subscription fees are very important. With very few exceptions the
best technical publications cost hundreds, sometimes thousands of
dollars a year.
I was browsing the Gardner Group website recently. Aside from a very
few, semi-worthless frebies the least expensive study costs about as
much a subscription to the 3000 Newswire. In fact, amoung the
professional memberships and subscriptions I have held the ones
related to the HP 3000 have consistently been the least expensive.
I am not without a stake in this matter. I've got a major article
coming out in the 3000 Newswire. I would like to research and write
more such articles and on more timely subjects but the money is thin.
Personally I'd like to see the 3000 Newswire and/or Interexpress sell
for much more to fund the work required to write really good articles.
By good I mean an article that you could take and run your company by.
The really goods ones of a quality to be sold on their own.
"Free" will fund only so many contributions of that quality.
--
Cortlandt Wilson
Cortlandt Software
www.cortsoft.com (MANMAN 3rd party Resources site)
(650) 966-8555
Michael D. Hensley wrote in message ...
Cortlandt Wilson wrote:
> As a not well paid sometime journalist for the 3000 NewsWire I must
> point out that good software *of any kind* doesn't come for free.
Never heaard of GNU, LINUX, APACHE, JAVA, MS Internet Explorer,
Pegasus email
client, etc.?
> I would turn your statements around and ask why your companies don't
make
> more of their software products available for free.
We make quite a lot available for "free". Visit our web site and
click on
the "Free Software" link.
> How can a user group or publisher stay in business if they give
their best
> stuff away?
Actually, newspaper and magazine publishers make money selling
advertising,
not selling subscriptions. They charge you for a subscription because
advertising rates are based on the number of subscribers, and paid
subscribers count *way* more than free subscribers.
Seriously, I think *all* Interex members would benefit by the
incredibly
small (probably zero) "lost revenue* of giving away this series to
assist new
MPE users/admins/whatever. The more people who embrace the platform,
the
bigger Interex's potentioal customer base.
---
Michael D. Hensley | mailto:[log in to unmask]
Allegro Consultants Inc. | Visit scenic http://www.allegro.com
408/252-2330 | "Support Bill of Rights Enforcement"
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