At 03:49 PM 3/12/1998 Earl Truss  wrote:
>Yes, a lot of people think $30 is too much to pay, but there must be enough
>who think it is OK else they would not get enough people to buy the Beta
>version to make it worthwhile.  That is, they don't need to give it away to
>testers because enough will pay to do it.   A lot of "people" who buy Beta
>versions are companies doing verifications that their systems, hardware,
>software, etc. will work with the new version.
>
>----------
>> From: May, Jonah <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>> I think the issue here is the fact that one has to pay $30 for a beta.
>> For that same amount I can buy a full copy of SCO Unix or Unixware. If
>> Microsoft wishes for consumers to test Win98, either give the copies
>> away or offer it at a more reasonable price.  I might be willing to give
>> $10 for a copy to cover manufacturing and distribution costs, but not
>> $30!!!!!!!!!!!!


Consider that a user is only licensing software; it's not ownership, per se.
Also, consider that Win98B3 is not really a radical new OS but is more
of an evolutionary product.  And that consumers using Beta 3 aren't really
beta testers. More of a population sample for actuarial purposes.  <g>

So, you're merely renting a bug fix for your Win95 for 9 months. Cost:
$3.33 per month. A bargain. Cheaper than a tech support call to Microsoft.

Regards,

John Chin