Re: [NTLK] Newton Sales

From what I've experienced...

F$$di made one of his initial splashes on the Newton scene by downloading
every piece of Newton software he could find on unna.org and other sites (demo,
freeware, shareware), burning them on to a disc, and then selling them through
eBay. The software was NOT his to burn on to a disc and sell. This practice
DID inadvertently benefit inexperienced Newton users, because it put large
amounts of Newton software into their hands. Here's a case where he actually helped
the Newton Community, though perhaps unintentionally.

As I understand the story, he also copied another hardware developer's eMate
memory board upgrade and sold "crude" copies of the original. The details as
to how he acquired the board schematic are a bit fuzzy; may have been reverse
engineering. Also, the consensus has been that these boards were not reliable
over the long term. Further research in the Newtontalk archives should produce
more information.

Historically, Newton merchandise sold through this individual has been marked
up significantly over that of his competitors. Paying $49 for a Newton dongle
adaptor is an absolute fisting. I recall another case where he was seeking
$400+ for an old PCMCIA card that let the Newton user send output to a
television screen.
Not exactly a fair mark-up. I sold a similar card to a Newton user for $100
bucks, and ONLY because I was unemployed and desperate to keep the lights on.

The way I see it, members of the Newton Community should try to HELP one
another when and where they can. I would say that 99.99% of the folks on this list
abide by that philosophy. If you consider yourself a so-called entrepreneur,
then yes, go ahead and make a small profit from a transaction. But, DO NOT try
to deliberately take advantage of people...

That's the skinny as I see it...

Best regards,

Matt K.
Detroit, Michigan USA

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