Smalltalk and Python

[Tim May]

In article <steve976915950 at serf.org>, steve at serf.org (A SERFer) wrote:


> Indeed we are!  We keep hearing a circular argument:
> 1. Cincom are committed to Smalltalk in the long term.
> 2. We must charge these prices if Smalltalk is to survive within Cincom.
> 
> Its like a sort of quantum mechanical uncertainty thing... each statement
> on its own makes sense, but put together, they are meaningless.

Really? Translate it to this:

1. Intel is committed to the Pentium in the long term.
2. We must charge these prices if the Pentium is to survive within Intel.

Or translate it to any number of other softare tools, such as chip 
layout software, PCB software, design rule checking tools. Or factory 
management tools. Or data bases.

1. Oracle is committed to its database products in the long term.
2. We much charge these prices if these products are to survive withing 
Oracle.

Fact is, some software products are quite expensive, some are moderately 
expensive, some are inexpensive, and some are even free.

My group at Intel, many years ago, paid about $25K per seat for a 
product from Intellicorp (no relation to us).

I won't pretend to know why some products do well at certain prices, or 
whether Cincom is charging "too much."


> Having done some research into Java's history, I would guess that Sun are
> in fact making money from Java:  one of the motivations was to provide
> a common platform and a common set of APIs for internal Sun use as well
> as a product.  Even if Java had only succeeded as an internal tool, it
> would have cut costs, and so made money for Sun.

I assure you, Sun is _not_ making money from Java. At least not 
directly. Maybe through some tangential benefits to their real products, 
but I doubt even that. Sun machines would be selling even if Java had 
never appeared. 


--Tim May

-- 
Timothy C. May         tcmay at got.net        Corralitos, California
Political: Co-founder Cypherpunks/crypto anarchy/Cyphernomicon
Technical: physics/soft errors/Smalltalk/Squeak/agents/games/Go
Personal: 1951/UCSB/Intel '74-'86/retired/investor/motorcycles/guns