@Dirk-B

Sure, why shouldn't the license be free? Amiga, Inc. gets its money from unit sales, maybe 10% of what Hyperion charges for the OS, or whatever. There is no reason on earth why Genesi or any other motherboard maker should pay the OS vendor to provide the OS vendor with machines their product is useless without. Why shouldn't Amiga, Inc. pay Genesi a hardware license fee? That makes just as much|little sense.

I think any kind of license fee is viable when the party requiring it can get away with it, for supply-demand reasons primarily. Amiga, Inc. is not in that position.

Is it common for OS makers/IP holders to demand a fee from board makers for the right to use their OS? I wonder if, for example, you want to run Windriver or QNX on your new board, do you have to pay those companies for the right (I mean a fee separate from paying for units of the OS)? Anyone know?

Update: From what I saw at QNX.com, it looks like QNX puts a lot of resources into getting their OS on people's hardware -- exactly the opposite of erecting barriers in the form of advance fees. I didn't find any explicit statements that "we charge no license fee" though. It seems the AOS4 license fee came about primarily because one of the parties involved, Eyetech, wanted to supply the hardware and prevent others from competing as a supplier. Normally, software companies want to get their product on as much good hardware as possible because that's how they earn their money.

-- gary_c

Last edited by gary_c on 08-Sep-2006 at 05:59 AM.
Last edited by gary_c on 08-Sep-2006 at 05:41 AM.

_________________
zukakakina.com - themes.tikiwiki.org

@Dirk-B
Quote:

You know it, a free license.

a free 4.50$ per unit* free license is as everyone knows bad to your health, namely when say, against a none existent one...

*of products that actually deliver...

_________________
Indigo 3D Lounge, my second home.
The Illusion of Choice | Am*ga

@Dirk-B

Quote:

Dirk-B wrote: @gary_c You know it, a free license.

You mean like the one a certain "lawyer" allways babbled about in 2002 ??

_________________
- We don't need good ideas, we haven't run out on bad ones yet
- blame Canada