(First - I did not introduce MorphOS to this thread, "Duce" did, and I'm merely replying)
@Duce
Well in the news about this release they beat the big drum of how this update is free,
"Hyperion continues its tradition to provide regular free updates of AmigaOS 4.1 and with the festive season just days away, this is a particularly appropriate time for a free update.". It's christmas and all, here is a present, etc.
First, this is an update *they had to* release as soon as possible after the OS4.1.3 release, there was no choice there (and since the question was asked elsewhere – YES, you who had to downgrade to OS4.1.2 *must* re-install OS4.1.3 prior to installing OS4.1.4!), and the idea that they would charge money for a bandage patch, which this update really is, is ridiculous (nobody does that!), and so is marketing it as some kind of Free Christmas Gift on courtesy of Hyperion in this context. Like in "1984", when the news was "Chocolate production will not decrease from 25 thousand tons" or whatever, they changed it to "Chocolate production will increase to 25 thousand tons" and everyone cheered. Spin-doctors playing with words and version numbers. No, fixing the bugs, and doing it for free, is a damn obligation they have to their paying customers!
People sometimes express the opinion that MorphOS is expensive, and sure, €111 can be a lot of money for a hobby. But you also get *a lot* for it, in the case of MorphOS. I have had MorphOS since v1.0, so I have had v1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, and I will soon have 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, etc, etc. I have paid the license cost *once* for all this.
OS4.0 did cost money. Then they charged the *full cost* all over again at 4.1, and AFAIK they will charge the users *yet again* as soon as 4.2 gets released. I'm perfectly fine with that, it's their choice. They want money, and if users are prepared to pay, then why not? It's a free world!
What bugs me is when ssolie, the "OS4 development lead" (Mr. OS4 himself) are trying to make it sound like they would be just as generous as the MorphOS team with updates, when they are clearly not, especially when he obviously has a grudge against MorphOS for *even charging money at all* for the license (along with many snide remarks on the MorphOS's teams work and priorities, how the MorphOS team has tricked the users by not delivering what ssolie thinks MorphOS is all about, etc, etc):
Does anybody have a guess as to how many MorphOS licenses have been sold so far? Must be in the hundreds by now, maybe even thousands? I remember Genesi boasting about how many boards they sold or had given away so there must be a very large base of hardware out there and potential MorphOS 2.x users.
(
http://www.morphzone.org/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=6285&forum=3&start=0)
Then the whole issue of money popped up when at least one dev said he wasn't doing it for any money. When I asked where the money was going and got jumped on it made me wonder where those payments were really going. Fab was nice enough to straighten me out in IRC the first time but of course I misunderstood amidst the barrage of insults and joking around. It seems Ralph Schmidt is collecting all the money; still no word on whether he is incorporated or whatever. That is kinda important to know these days especially if there is a dispute or something. There would be nothing stopping Mr. Schmidt from just taking the money and disappearing leaving the rest of the team stranded is there? Oh well, I suppose nobody cares about such matters.
(
http://www.morphzone.org/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=6285&forum=3&start=9)
Looks like about 500 licenses are sold so far at say 150 EUR a pop means Ralph Schmidt has taken in 75,000 EUR which is getting close to $100,000 USD.
(
http://www.morphzone.org/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=6308&forum=3&start=0)
:rolleyes:
But I digress.
*It is* a good thing that the OS4 users can now enjoy
this update that is mostly bugfixes for an OS
that really didn't need bugfixes after reaching version 4.1.3, and this
totally for free, since charging once and then free is the traditional Hyperion ways, and it's also a Christmas present (not that they were obligated to, of course not)!
