Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!kessner!david
From: david@kessner.denver.co.us (David Kessner)
Subject: Re: Not for Export?
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.212625.3833@kessner.denver.co.us>
Organization: Kessner, Inc.
References: <1991Apr16.042431.10997@sactoh0.sac.ca.us> <1991Apr17.211013.5@lincoln.ac.nz>
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 91 21:26:25 GMT

In article <1991Apr17.211013.5@lincoln.ac.nz> english@lincoln.ac.nz writes:
>is simply commercial reasons, pagemaker will have a reseller/distributor
>in other parts of the world, who have been given the entire market and
>protected from people buying directly from the states. miscrsoft do this
>also, as a result we pay twice the price for our microsoft products in
>this part of the world.
>
>can assure you it's not because of the compression routines, have
>bought packages locally which use these compression routines.
>
>grant english
>english@lincoln.ac.nz
>
>would you confirm or deny?

For the most part, your right.  However, there are some programs that use
algorithms that are not for export.  For instance, PKZIP uses an ENCRYPTION
algorithm that cannot be exported, the 'non-USA' version does not
have this feature.  

While there is no doubt that 'commercial reasons' do play a major role, there
is really no way to know what the 'real' reasons are.  For instance, 
Flight Simulator has the 'not for export' label (at least I think it did).
It could be because of distrtibution (it is, after all, a game), but it also
contains 'technology' that could easily be put into 'military' purposes.

So, who's to say?  There are obviously two (or more) reasons why a product
may not be exported...

-- 
David Kessner - david@kessner.denver.co.us            | do {
1135 Fairfax, Denver CO  80220  (303) 377-1801 (p.m.) |    . . .
If you cant flame MS-DOS, who can you flame?          |    } while( jones);
