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Xref: sserve gnu.misc.discuss:6435 comp.os.linux:11977 comp.unix.bsd:6216 Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!newsroom.utas.edu.au!hilbert!piggy From: piggy@hilbert.cc.utas.edu.au (La Monte Yarroll) Subject: Re: Suggestions for the free Unix projects Message-ID: <piggy.718592994@newsroom.utas.edu.au> Sender: news@newsroom.utas.edu.au Organization: University of Tasmania, Australia. References: <1992Oct7.040347.425@fcom.cc.utah.edu> <1992Oct7.135421.2806@meaddata.com> <1992Oct8.010626.16411@fcom.cc.utah.edu> Distribution: aus Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 01:09:54 GMT Lines: 36 terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C) writes: >Actually, the media production costs aren't what kills you; it's the >overhead involved in writing, typesetting, and publishing a manual, >the support, and expected legal battles. Especially the last. Ignoring >the legal stuff, you *might* be able to be profitable at about $400 per, >regardless of the distribution media. > Terry Lambert > terry@icarus.weber.edu > terry_lambert@novell.com Before I launch in, I should mention that I am on 1 year leave from MWC. I'm a kernel developer for them. All the information in this article is already publicly available. Mark Williams Company does very well selling a full UN*X clone on _diskette_ with a 1000+ page perfect-bound manual for $100. MWC doesn't do very much more volume on a per-run basis than people have been talking about here. Oh yes, don't forget the life-time technical support. Admittedly, MWC provides a number of add-on products for their core product, and these are really what pay for things like new development and technical support. MWC tried to market COHERENT once before as a group of products in the $500 to $1000 range. The lesson to be learned from MWC is that a lower priced product will sell MUCH better than a high priced product. MWC has shipped ~40,000 copies to date. -- La Monte H. Yarroll Home: piggy@baqaqi.chi.il.us Work: piggy@hilbert.maths.utas.edu.au AKA: piggy@gargoyle.uchicago.edu