10 Jan
2012
10 Jan
'12
5:32 p.m.
In the very early 1980s, the cheapest, nastiest,
crappiest common
computer I encountered in the States was the Sinclair ZX80 (and even
then, I think I knew 3-4 owners - fewer than Apples).
My folks actually looked at one, and I used one in school in southern
California, but it was the teacher's unit and it was replaced by a C64
the next year, and then the school got Apple IIes after that.
As part of that, since Commodore had purchased a
license for Microsoft
BASIC at very favorable terms to Commodore (I don't remember the
deepest details off the top of my head, but the effect was a lifetime
license for BASIC2 for little or no cost), updating the BASIC would
have added, in effect, a Microsoft tax on every Commodore computer
sold. To Tramiel especially, this would have been a serious
disincentive to update BASIC. When the C-64 was selling for $99, it
was profitable. IIRC, the cost to Commodore per unit was around
$16-$18. Adding even a $10-per-unit license fee would have been a
significant hit to profitability. Upgrading BASIC wouldn't really add
enough new customers to pay for itself.
I don't know if this is true per se. Development costs might have been a
concern, but Commodore did BASIC 3.5 (+4/16) and 7.0 (128) and even 10.0
(65) and I don't think Microsoft ever saw a cent. My bet is that Tramiel
didn't want to delay the machines to market developing the software, nor
did he want to "waste" R&D costs on building a better BASIC, but I'm
quite
sure his terms with Microsoft didn't require him to give Gates a penny
even if he did muck with it. Tramiel knew he had Gates over the barrel back
then and I doubt very much Jack would have left such a loophole.
--
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Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
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