James Newton, Host wrote:

>>Ok, I'll bite.  I agree.  If you signed an agreement with the 
>>bike lessee that you accepted the brakes as is, and that if 
>>you wanted to go faster you'd purchase a brake fix upgrade.
>>
>>How is this different from cracking serial numbers for 
>>software licenses?  
> 
> There are two different arguments going on here and I think people are
> getting the two separate issues confused:
> 
> 1. Should a mfgr sell a device with crippled hardware and upgrade via jumper
> / license / etc... or should they sell only the hardware that is actually
> used and upgrade via a full hardware install?
> 
> 2. Should a consumer who has purchased a crippled device UN-cripple the
> device without paying for the upgrade?
> 
> I think a lot of people (not all) object to #1 as being just... Inelegant?
> Misleading? Wasteful?
> 
> Most people (not all) also object to #2 and would pay the upgrade fee as
> required. A few will attempt to hack it and if they succeed, will publish
> the details which then makes #1 even stupider.
> 
> I personally can see the advantages of doing #1 as it makes the hardware
> upgrade much easier and less likely to result in a service call. The thing I
> don't understand is why HP charges so much for an upgrade that obviously
> didn't cost them (HP) much at all; if it had cost that much, they would
> never have put the hardware in the base model in the first place. And I
> think this is really another issue:

Whatever happened to 'one size fits all'?
Surely it doesn't matter to an end user who 'needs' 1 Mpts buffer,
if the scope has 7 Mpts more he 'need'.

If it is already in the scope, what advantage does the manufacturer
get by artificially creating unneeded variations of the product?

There is such a thing as 'too much choice' Just look at digital
cameras or cell phones and try to pick the 'best' one for your
needs. It isn't easy with the plethora of choices out there,
all with similar price points but widely differing features.
Why can I NOT find a camera with all the features I find in many
separate cameras/brands, in ONE unit. e.g. long exposure time
(astophotography), but also with histogram and 'fine focus'
zoom in box.

> 3. Should a mfgr rip off it's existing customer base by charging many times
> cost for an upgrade? 

That seems to be the core of the irritation.
As engineers we know what certain types of upgrades -should- cost,
and seeing a 10x factor is enraging.

> There is a fine line between knowing that the customer will pay more since
> they have already invested in the base equipment and not pissing off your
> existing customers to the point that they tell everyone not to buy from you.
> 
> I personally think HP has crossed that line with this scope upgrade and

I certainly agree.

> threads like this one will drive potential customers away.

Unfortunately they seem to have the better product, but I am loath
to reward them for their artificial stratification of their product line.

> Which brings up the question: Who should you buy a scope from?

Those who give full value for money spent?

Has anyone bothered to purchase an 'upgrade' for an existing
6000 series Agilent scope? Why did you not buy it initially?
How did you feel about keying in a number that cost you $1800
to get access to something you already had?
(Or was it a firmware upload that you needed?)

How long before the automotive industry starts selling cars
with horsepower limiting build into the engine controller,
and selling you an 'upgrade' for 'high performance' version
of the IDENTICAL engine?
In fact, don't they do that already with 'power chips'
ECM EPROM changes from 3rd parties?

It's a slippery slope when the only thing between a user
and 'features' is configuration bits. How long before someone
posts the 'fix' in a newsgroup or website?
Does a digital scope now come with a 'shrink wrap'
software license agreement to stop you from 'diddling' the
config?

The development work has already been done. Why not reduce the overall
cost by amortizing it over more sold units?

Robert

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