Subject: Re: Apple II-- doing just fine
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From: Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 04:24:46 -0500
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Jeff Blakeney writes ...
> 
> On Mon, 09 Aug 1999 16:52:40 -0500, Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>
> wrote:
> 
> >     Actually, software piracy has never been a serious problem on the II series.
> >Those who would be inclined to buy a game or language system generally did/do so.
> >Those who could not or would not spend the money either did without the software
> >or got it from some friend or "pirate BBS". In most cases, this "pirate"
> >distribution probably served to increase sales.
> 
> I don't see how "pirate" distribution would ever help sales.


It increases the number of users for a product. An example is the promotion of
music CD's. You and others hear a cut played on the radio, it becomes "a hit"
and lots of listeners buy the CD.

True, the analogy is not exact; but, the basic mechanism of promotion is the
same. A product perceived as "hot" sells better than one which nobody knows
about.



> If I had
> a pirated copy of a piece of software, what incentive would I have to
> buy the original?  Also, why would anyone I know pay for the software
> when they could just get a free copy from me?


Because neither you nor your friends would have a copy of the product. You would
have a disk or two, probably "cracked", with no guarantees, no neat box, no
booklets or other official docs, no codewheel, no map, etc.. A copy of the
software is not a copy of the product.

If you like the product, there are good reasons for getting the original.
Meanwhile, most of those who do not buy the original would not have bought it
whether or not the pirate copy were available. They would use some other
product, play some other game. The net result is that the availability of an
unauthorized copy of the software increases players, promotes the product, and
increases sales.



> 
> Piracy takes sales away from developers and that is definitely a
> serious problem.



Software piracy, genuine piracy, can cost sales in a small market where
promotion is not an important factor.



> Especially now when there are so few users to pay
> for software, having even a few of them using pirated copies makes a
> large dent in the developers return for his time and effort.



Agree. However, there are a few things to consider in assessing the problem.

First, virtually all current non-shareware commercial products are over-priced.
Granted, the thinking may be that high prices are necessary to compensate for
losses due to piracy-- i.e. "I'll sell one copy for $59 to make up for the sales
lost to piracy." Unfortunately, the result is a self-perpetuating spiral. High
prices promote piracy which promotes higher prices ...

The above leads to the observation that the software producer can significantly
reduce piracy and increase sales by lowering prices and taking advantage of the
free advertising opportunities available here and other places on the net.

Second, a number of developers are remarkably bad at PR. Calling your
prospective customers "pirates" and complaining about a lack of appreciation are
guaranteed ways to increase piracy, reduce appreciation, and kill sales.



> 
> >     For any software culture to flourish, you need users. If no one else is
> >playing a game, the game automatically becomes much (_much_) less interesting.
> >People do not like to use software in a vacuum. It is the same principle which
> >keeps FM music broadcasters in business despite the fact that most listeners
> >have CD and tape collections.
> 
> I've never had a problem with playing games in a "vacuum".
 ....
 

Some people are like that.

Most are not. This explains why so many excellent older games are passed up and
money spent on many significantly inferior new releases.



> 
> By the way, don't FM music broadcasters stay in business because they
> continue to get advertisers to pay them money?  I don't see how this
> relates to software piracy and people playing games in a "vacuum".



It relates because advertisers choose stations with lots of listeners. People
listen because they like to be part of a live audience. Game players like to
play games others are playing.



 
> >     Today, virtually every entertainment software release _depends_ upon "piracy"
> >for success. The prices are purposefully set to guarantee 'unauthorized'
> >distribution. (And, if you skip the warez sites, the software maker may call you
> >and offer to send the game for a free 1-month tryout.)  This promotes interest and
> >boosts sales to those who do shop and buy gaming software.
> 
> How can a program succeed if it gets pirated?  A successful program is
> one that sells well and piracy cuts into sales.
 ....
 

This is certainly not true for games. The introductory prices are always high
and there are too many alternative choices. A game which does not attract
players and 'make a splash' when it is released will not sell well.

For other products, the advantages of unauthorized distribution vary. Obviously,
any graphics utility or language package or 'office' package which needs to
carve out and establish some standard needs to attract many users. This probably
explains why a major business software maker waits until its product is widely
accepted before seeking to put the clamps on piracy in the corporate setting.


 
> By the way, I've never had a software company call me and offer to
> send me a game.
 ....
 
 

LOL! Maybe you need to start filling out and returning those little cards that
come with the other stuff in the box.



> 
> >     Why does anyone buy software? A popular myth is that an unauthorized copy is
> >as good as 'the real thing'. Almost always, this is not true; and, really, everyone
> >knows it. It is always best to have 'the box', the maps, (the cards, coins,
> >"miniature space fleet", etc.) and the original docs. If the product is a language
> >system, just a copy of the software leaves you without the manuals.
> 
> I've bought software that was no more than a CD in a jewel case.  The
> documentation was on the CD.  Why did I buy it instead of copying it
> and having an exact copy of the original, packaging and all?  Because
> it is against the law to do so and I got it for a price I was willing
> to pay.  It wouldn't be in my software collection otherwise.



Which, again, demonstrates that lower prices discourage piracy. As for picking a
release which does not include the original box, printed manuals, maps, etc.,
that is a reasonable choice based upon cost and/or availability of the original.
It is still better to have the original goodies.



> 
> By the way, if you think that having an original is best to have, why
> do you keep promoting the sites that let people download pirated
> copies of software instead of urging them to track down originals?
 ....
 
 

Long ago, many of the games, etc. which are available from sites like Asimov
were pirate copies. Today, these products do not qualify as "pirate software".
They are no longer sold by the owners of the copyrights (e.g. SSI, Activision,
Origin, Interplay, Electronic Arts, Mindscape, ...).  As far as these owners are
concerned, the old software is great free advertising for their brand names.

My reason for referring users to these sites is because both the user and rights
owner benefit and, besides, that's where the software is.

Thanks to the efforts of many users, documentation, hints, fixes, and
enhancements for many out-of-print items has been developed and is available
from the archives and other sites. So, although getting the original is,
usually, still best, the on-line copies are generally satisfactory.

As for urging users to track down originals, I have on several occassions
recommended obtaining this or that game from a known vendor. However, it would
be wrong to routinely respond to a user's question about the location of some
out-of-print item with the suggestion that he/she "track down" the original when
I have no idea how much cost and bother might be involved.

No one has any particular responsibility to steer business to software
re-sellers and speculators except the software re-sellers and speculators.
Nevertheless, several FAQs sites, including mine, offer a free listing of
vendors with links. This listing is further propagated throughout the net via
USENET archives. It is up to those who have something to sell to take care of
business and advertise.



> 
> Software piracy is a serious problem everywhere.
 ....
 
 

Not here.

What, exactly, is someone supposed to "pirate"? As far as I know, none of the
archives offer ProTERM A2 3.1 or SIS or or any Byte Works product to which Byte
Works objects.

Csa2 strongly discourages piracy as do the archives. If some software maker is
experiencing problems with piracy, it is, most likely, a direct result of
attitudes like yours.

You have clearly implied that you regard the downloading of games like Wavy
Navy, Ultima, etc. and utilities such as Copy II Plus to be acts of software
piracy. So, for you, practically every Apple II user is a "pirate". Such an
attitude is absurd and it has helped to make any charge of piracy look absurd.

Despite the best efforts of this newsgroup, most users, and the public Apple II
archives, you and some of your associates have cheapened the accusation of
"piracy" and made it a laughing stock. Then, having attacked, yet one more time,
the only workable method of controlling genuine piracy-- i.e. the archives-- you
complain about developers having problems with software piracy?



> 
> >     At present, despite rising user numbers, there is not a great deal of Apple II
> >commercial software activity. This is not due to rampant software piracy. All of
> >the major software archives from ACN Florida through Uni-kl.de respect the rights
> >of copyright owners and avoid offering software currently being sold by the
> >copyright owner. A software creator could not wish for a more 'pirate-free zone'
> >than II computing.
> 
> That paragraph sure moved around a lot.  As I said in another thread,
> users don't create software, developers do.



That last remark speaks volumes. Perhaps the developers you know are not users.
This would explain a great deal.

Many users, however, do develop software. Much of the attraction of being an
Apple II user is being able to produce software which benefits yourself and
other users.





> Without the developers
> creating new software, there won't be much "software activity".



True enough. It's a good thing we have so many users who continue to produce
software and new Apple II owners who are learning. Now, thanks to the Byte Works
GS-BASIC, more users than ever will create interesting products for the IIgs.




> If
> there are a lot of users that are using pirated software then the
> developers will be less inclined to write or release their software
> unless it was intended to be freeware or public domain.

     

This appears to say that, if Apple II users continue to download and use
out-of-print commercial software, then, some elite group of non-user developers
will refuse to produce commercial software. That would be a shame. If these
exceptional personages plan ever again to produce commercial software, it would
be a good idea for them to adopt a new perspective.



> 
> The problem with the FTP sites you mention is that they aren't
> respecting the rights of the copyright owners of older software.



That opinion does not appear to be one shared by the copyright owners. The sites
mentioned are no secret. Some have existed for several years and been subjected
to numerous attacks and threats by those who wish to dominate and control the
availability of all Apple II software. There have been all sorts of email
campaigns designed to inform this or that software company that its software is
available on the sites and insist that it should be removed.

The attacks, threats, and email campaigns have failed. Happily, the copyright
owners have been wise enough and generous enough to ignore the trouble makers.
It is their property to do with as they please; not yours.

 

> This
> means that at some point you will end up putting a current developer's
> software on these sites.  When is anybodies guess.
 ....
 

No need to guess. Ton's of current developer software is there right now.

If you are talking about current non-shareware commercial software, I do not
know of any. So long as the present system holds, the archives will try to
prevent any current non-shareware commercial software from appearing for
download and, should this happen, correct the mistake.




> 
> >     While Byte Works does a decent job of marketing its products; most commercial
> >producers are virtually invisible. We can show them in the FAQs Vendors List; but,
> >it is up to them to take care of advertising.
> 
> I think the developers of commercial software do a fine job of
> advertising their products on Delphi's
 ....


Which is to say, basically, that you advertise to each other. Such a small group
is not much of a market, particularly since, evidently, it includes a number of
pirates.




> There isn't much advertising done here because this
> newsgroup isn't very friendly towards them so they don't post here
> anymore.



When you call your prospective customers "thieves" and "pirates" it does tend to
put a damper on enthusiasm for your product. What you guys need to do is pool
your resources and hire some smart young woman with a nice personality to handle
PR. Let her do postings to Csa2 and, overnight, sales will skyrocket.



> 
> >     Those who create something worthwhile need to be willing to sell it. Too much
> >stuff which should be sold is given away. Even if the price is $5-$10, it's
> >something; and, it encourages others to develop products to sell.
> 
> Huh?  Those who create something worthwhile need to be willing to
> release it.  Whether it is released as public domain, freeware,
> shareware or commercial doesn't really matter. I don't see how this
> would "encourage others to develop products to sell".  

     

Getting paid can be a strong motivator for actually completing a project. It
helps to see that everyone does not expect you to give your stuff away and that
it is okay to put a price on your work.



> From my
> discussions with the remaining Apple II developers, they don't get a
> lot of sales.



Neither does Quasimodo.


 
> >     Finally, there is talk of "dead platforms" and "who killed the Apple II". This
> >does not encourage product development. Besides, it misrepresents the facts.
> >
> >     Apple, Inc. surely blew an opportunity to make the II series today's major
> >platform; but, if eliminating the Apple II was an objective, they blew that, too.
> >No one killed the Apple II. The Apple II is here and running software every day for
> >many thousands of users around the world.
> 
> Here I agree with you whole-heartedly.  The Apple II is not dead so
> long as we don't let it die.  Support the remaining developers,
> discourage the pirates and we'll all have a healthier platform.



Definitely! We should support all developers and discourage all genuine software
piracy.



Rubywand