Re: Ada Operating System

["Marin David Condic" <dont.bother.mcondic.auntie.spam@[acm.org>]

"Larry Kilgallen" <Kilgallen@SpamCop.net> wrote in message
news:vEY3SfNlq6Uc@eisner.encompasserve.org...
>
> That is not an issue so long as your software is imperfect.
> Once they claim a refund they don't receive updates to the
> new better version.
>
> By "imperfect" here, I mean to include "lacking features"
> rather than just "containing defects".

O.K. Maybe. But, for example, I'm running an old version of Microsoft Word
at home. I have no desire to upgrade it to the latest and greatest version
because it does what I want already. Also, I don't recall that Microsoft
offered to send me updates included in the purchase price of Word. If I want
an upgrade, I've got to pay for it.

Hypothetically, I go to CompUSA and buy Word. Install it on my machine.
Return it claiming I'm not happy with it for some reason. (or lots of them!
:-) I get my money back and still have Word doing what I need it to do. A
later version of Word comes on the market and I do the same thing. I keep
getting the upgrades and keep returning them with the story "I was hoping
that *this* version would be better..." What stops that scenario?

Not that I necessarily favor this scenario - but its worth at least
cogitating on: If there were some sort of key to a software package that
allows it to run on one machine and you were to return the software with the
key (so now you can't run it) then offering a money back guarantee is not
much of a problem. You buy it and like it - you use it indefinitely and can
move it from one machine to another. You buy it and don't like it, you
return it and can't use it anymore. That scenario might make vendors more
willing to stand behind their products because they only end up in trouble
if they produce a bad one.

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
Senior Software Engineer
Pace Micro Technology Americas    www.pacemicro.com
Enabling the digital revolution
e-Mail:    marin.condic@pacemicro.com