Subject: Giveaway software, pay for manuals
From: Tom Plackowski <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 93 08:53:49 EST

>I got Blitz Basic II a few weeks ago (just before I heard it might be on
>the cover disk -- as usual my timing is great) and even though it has some
> ...
>don't mind having gotten Blitz Basic II in an actual box rather that on a
>cover disk.  I think with programming languages, if you don't have a good
>manual to refer to you aren't going to go very far.  It's like people who
>try to use AMOS somely from the cover disk version and the few articles
>that have been published with it -- it's possible to do some good work,
>but it sure is difficult to use everything the language has to offer.

Yes. It seems rather a clever marketing ploy.

Its sort of like shareware - try the software, then pay for the manual
if you like it. The software is virtually free anyway (very cheap to
duplicate). Its just not very useful without the manual.
A lot of copy protection works like that - you pay for the manual and get
a free disk with it. Just look at any flight simulator! 8-)

Another clever thing this CoverDisk idea does is get a lot of extra exposure
for the product.  Plus, a lot of people who get it will hear that AMOSPro is
out and that they would "find it much better"...

What better way to market a product that has just been superseded?

// Tom