Date:         Tue, 29 Jul 1997 13:28:01 -0400
Reply-To:     TIM.LATENDRESS@LATENT62.CUSTOMS.SPRINT.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Tim Latendress <TIM.LATENDRESS@LATENT62.CUSTOMS.SPRINT.COM>
Subject:      Re[2]: Missed opportunity?

For what it's worth, SI is now on a Federal IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery
Indefinite Quantity) contract where their licensing arrangement is
almost exactly as John describes. It is a perpetual license with an
optional annual renewal charge for tech support and upgrades. Not every
product or operating system is covered under this license however. Also,
one must pay full price to switch over to the new license. But, after
the switch, annual renewal fees are steeply discounted. For example, our
total annual renewal fees for 14 products will drop to less than $500
per user or about $35 per product per user. Probably still too much for
some but it sounds great to me.
 
My point is that, although the IDIQ contract is only available to the
Feds, it shows that SI is moving to offer some flexibility in their
licensing agreements. Hopefully it's a crack in the dam(n).
 
 
Tim Latendress
latendress@latent62.customs.sprint.com
 
 =======================================================================
 
John Whittington <johnw@MAG-NET.CO.UK> wrote:
 
>You're right about paying for Microsoft products once:
>
>* You paid once for Microsoft Works...
>* And once for Microsoft Word 2.0...
>* And once for Microsoft Word 6.0...
>* And once for Microsoft Office 4.2...
>* And once for Microsoft Office 4.2 Professional...
>* And once for Microsoft Office '95 Professional...
>* And once for Microsoft Office '97 Small Business Edition...
>* And once for Microsoft Office '97 Standard Edition...
>* And once for Microsoft Office '97 Professional...
 
Theo - surely the point is that not everyone wants/needs to upgrade that
often.  With MS products, they only pay again if/when they decide to
upgrade;  SI force people to pay again (and again, and again ...) even
if they decide *not* to upgrade.  If SI offered a 'perpetual' licence,
small (and poor) users like me would probably still be using 6.10 at the
moment - and then maybe wouldn't pay to upgrade until 7.0 (more likely
7.1).
 
I often wonder at the PR wisdom of SI's licensing policies, since so
many people get 'hot under the collar' about this.  If they *did* offer
perpetual licences, with a charge for technical support after the first
year, and *full* (not renewal) prices for each upgrade, then I strongly
suspect that their turnover would be just as great (quite probably
greater), but most users would be much happier because they felt 'in
control' of the choices/decisions!
 
Regards
 
John
 
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dr John Whittington,        Voice:      +44 1296 730225
Mediscience Services        Fax:        +44 1296 738893
Twyford Manor, Twyford,     E-mail:     johnw@mag-net.co.uk
Buckingham  MK18 4EL, UK    CompuServe: 100517,3677
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