Date   : Sat, 07 May 1983 07:21:22 PDT (Sat)
From   : unisoft!pertec@ucb-vax.arpa
Subject: ZCPR available on 8" disks

Once again I feel that Workman is trying to rip off the public selling
PUBLIC DOMAIN (!!) software at outrageous prices.  What is reasonable?
Let's see...

Single-sided/single-density 8" diskettes can be gotten cheap!  I assume
Mr. Workman does enough business where he can buy diskettes in large
enough quantity, that he can get them even cheaper than you and me, but
let's assume not, and say he can get a box of SSSD diskettes for around
$25.00, or $2.50 a diskette.  Let's also assume that he can get someone
to actually do the work of copying the diskettes for $4.00/hour.  If it
takes two minutes to load, copy, and verify a diskette, that's 30
diskettes an hour, or roughly 14 cents per copied diskette.  So far the
diskette costs $2.64, but you have to mail it, and the US SNAIL people
must get their share.  Let's assume that it takes another five minutes
for someone to place the diskettes into a mailer and make out an
address label, or about 34 cents in labor.  Add a generous $1.00 a
diskette for shipping, and our total is now only $3.98.  Which you're
saying Workman then marks up to $14.00???  Assuming that Workman sells
the entire group of 14 diskettes, that's $140 of profit off of someone
else's labors!  That's not what my idea of public domain is all about!

Hopefully enough RCPM systems and computer clubs will get ahold of the
ZCPR2 distribution that the general public won't be forced to pay these
inflated prices.  It's unfortunate that people who don't know better
will continue to be ripped off by Workman.