Bell Tech Pricing

[Dimitri Rotow]

In article <6475 at bcsaic.UUCP>, paula at bcsaic.UUCP (Paul Allen) writes:
> [ ... summarizes pricing comments & replies ...]
> 
> I'm an individual, not a corporation.  I would like to run unix on the
> biggest, fastest 386 box I can fit into my budget.  I'm going to buy one
> copy.  Your ad (I've seen it in the June Unix Review and the latest Dr.
> Dobb's) screams (well, 23 point type, anyway!) that I can get Unix SVR3
> for a 386 *complete* for $145.  Now that I know what to look for, I see
> that one of the available options is a 'media kit'.  Sheesh!  Does the
> $235 price include any documentation?
> 
> [It just occurred to me that, since Bell Tech is willing to sell me just
> a license, I should be able to copy a friend's floppies and
> documentation.  That would give me a licensed running complete Unix for
> $145, just like the ad says!  1/2 :-) ]
>

Your right, we do emphasize the *complete* part in the ad ... The reason we
do so is that our publication of UNIX is the *only* UNIX you can buy which
is genuinely complete and uncut ... the usage of "complete" was intended to
refer to the fact that you get *all* of UNIX, including *all* of the 
development tools, RFS, Streams, TLI, and everything else.  I think that's 
unique enough to want to emphasize in an ad, but not at the cost of 
risking people getting a misleading impression.  If the flames continue
we'll change the ad ... any suggestions on how to get across the idea that
you get *all* of UNIX whilst retaining the disaggregation of media, license,
and docs?

We'd be happy to sell you just a license, except that you cannot copy your
friend's diskettes [AT&T's rules, not ours].  Since AT&T imposes profound
restrictions on the physical duplication of UNIX media we believe that we 
must sell at least one copy of physical media to each licensee in order to
have a defensible case in court with AT&T.  The actual license passes with
the CPU and is granted you by signing a license agreement or opening up a
shrink-wrapped agreement in jurisdictions where such agreements are valid.
Under the right circumstances, two or more people could do a joint buy
for target machines which are owned by the nominee actually purchasing such
machines and code, and then transfer titles to the CPU's and code within
the group (kind of a long way to go to save $45, but valid!).

- Dimitri Rotow