Moving from SCO to Suse Linux

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Fri, Jul 30, 2004 at 02:09:29PM -0400, John Esak wrote:
> > What we're paying for is a *license to use the package on our
> > computer*.  I'm pretty sure the slip of paper you get with it says so.
> >
> > What it *is* similar to is Kenwood saying, "Oh, you want to take your
> > stereo out of your Corvette and put it in your new Bimmer?  Sorry; you
> > can't do that; that model of stereo only works in Corvette's.  But
> > we'll be happy to sell you a *new* stereo that only works in Bimmers;
> > full price."
> 
> No, the utter hogwash is your interpretation of the package as the component
> in a car... What I tried to explain to Mark, which zoomed over his head,
> also, is that it is "the car" we are talking about in the analogy, not some
> movable part.

And I -- clearly, we -- disagree with you.  The job is listening to
music, not getting around.

>                You obviously do not make your living selling a product that
> can only be used on one platform. If you did, I doubt very much you would
> give it away free on other platforms to people who bought it one time for
> their first platform.

If I did make a product that only ran on one platform, no, I wouldn't
give it away free to people who ran platforms on which it didn't run.

:-)

But, again: you're treating it as a sale.

It's not.  

It's a license to use the software -- essentially, a license to the
value of the functionality.  I could *possibly* understand them wanting
more money if I wanted to run the same user count on Linux/390 --
helluva lot more horsepower there; more value.

I've never *liked* processor-class licensing, but I do understand it.

But that's not the argument at hand.

>                         Next buys should cost money... how else would you
> expect the comapny to survive the changes in high-tech equipment, new O/S's,
> etc., etc. My version of filePro has worked on SCO since day one... Even the
> Xenix worked on the Unix based stuff for awhile. Changing to Unix at minimal
> cost was nothing... from that point, it has gone through many version
> upgrades without problem. If I moved to a Linux box, I would fully expect to
> pay full price for a new Linux copy. Yes, I can sell the original SCO on
> E-bay should I want to do so.

I don't at all object to them charging me the upgrade and media costs
between 5.0.5 and 5.0.13, as I switch platforms.

Charging me all over again for a new 5.0.13 -- well, it's their
prerogative to do it, as long as they're willing to live with the
results.  Same thing as me not reading the license agreement closely
enough: I have to live with the results.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra at baylink.com
Designer                          Baylink                             RFC 2100
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	"You know: I'm a fan of photosynthesis as much as the next guy,
	but if God merely wanted us to smell the flowers, he wouldn't 
	have invented a 3GHz microprocessor and a 3D graphics board."
					-- Luke Girardi