I wasn't going to say anything on this rather disgusting discussion
but I will anyway. Paul has done some amazing things for us newton
users over the last few years and all on a very small student budget.
Most of his effort and products have been free too. He has taken time
on a number of occasions to help me set things up for my NPDS server
(http://rufa.dyndns.org) (that is still the most amazing feature of a
newton to me, and it came well after Apple gave up on it). With the
ATA driver, he seems to have put hundreds of hours solving a problem
that I suspect few could have without considerable support. Paul
explained his plans to charge for this driver when it got beyond
alpha stages.
I see this as a market question. I haven't made my mind up as to
whether I will buy the driver or not but I STRONGLY support him being
able to charge what he thinks it's worth. I trust him on this and he
has earned that over the last few years. I don't expect him to make
that much money on the ATA driver but I do think people who buy it
can appreciate why it wasn't a freebie.
I'd like to see us drop this discussion and see it as something that
should have never come up. The complaints have sounded a lot like
jealousy, unfortunately, great efforts tend to draw that kind of
attention.....
Dale
p.s. Paul, I think you can tell you have a lot of support and
appreciation in this user group!
>I have found this a somewhat discouraging discussion. And I echo what
>Mark Ross just wrote. I have been very impressed with Paul's dedication
>to the Newton and to expanding its capabilities. I have also enjoyed
>greatly his erudite discussions about computers and software. Being in a
>field, surgery, where the amount I am paid relates not at all to what I
>charge, due to the overwhelming power of insurance companies and the not
>level playing field of the both the court and the legislatures, from the
>point of view of physicians, I am absolutely in favor of him deciding
>what his work is worth. jf
>On Sunday, July 28, 2002, at 08:22 PM, Mark Ross wrote:
>
>>
>>>
>>> For a college student to be doing this on his own, with no
>> support but encouragement from the rest of us, is nothing short of
>> amazing. He most definitely deserves what he is asking. As for whether
>> anyone will pay this, that totally depends on if the drivers are worth
>> it
>> to the purchaser.
>
>
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