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        Where does OctaMED fit?

        2 months ago saw  the  release  of  OctaMED Professional V5. This
        major rework was released (as was the last version) as commercial
        software through selected licensed  distributors.  Yep, you heard
        right, COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE.

        This means that the same  rules  and constraints apply to OctaMED
        as those to Deluxe Paint or  WordWorth. Just because OctaMED is a
        meer thirty quid doesn't mean that the rules don't apply.

        I was completely shocked  to  see  OctaMED  Pro V5 reviewed in...
        wait, THE PUBLIC  DOMAIN  SECTION  in  Amiga  Format.  The Public
        Domain section WOULD YOU  BELIEVE  IT!  To  add insult to injury,
        it's review includes the following lines...

        "This isn't strictly PD..."

        HELLO? HELLO??? OctaMED  V5  is  NOT  PD  AT  ALL!!!!! There's no
        Strictly about it. Just  because  you  don't  find EA putting out
        Deluxe Paint II into the  freeware  market doesn't mean that this
        can't be done  to  previous  versions  of  OctaMED,  whilst still
        retaining current versions as commercial software.

        All versions of MED are PD, V1  of OctaMED is PD, V2 is Freeware,
        V3 (sadly no longer with us) was GIVEN AWAY on coverdisks, the V4
        manual has been released as freeware, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT??

        V4 and V5 are  copyrighted,  commercial  programmes and should be
        treated as such. What would Digita  do if they found their latest
        version of WordWorth reviewed in the  PD section? They'd be up in
        arms, and quite rightly so.

        It is OctaMED's  perception  in  the  Amiga  world  which doesn't
        enable certain sectors to take it seriously.

        As MED started life as  a  humble  PD programme, people are still
        under the impression that they can treat it as such. I don't know
        if anyone remembers  MED's  first  PD  release.  It  has  NO file
        requesters, little  functions  and  many  bugs.  By  version  two
        however it had  become  a   brilliant   programme  and with V3 of
        MED came the respect and attention the programme deserved. Why do
        people still think that because  OctaMED  started  like as PD, it
        still is?

        With the release of  OctaMED  Pro,  Worldwide distribution became
        exclusive. OctaMED became both COPYRIGHTED and COMMERCIAL. It had
        just as much relevance  to  commercial  music  software  as a two
        hundred quid (plus) copy  of  Bars+Pipes.  OK,  so  it was only a
        tenner, but methinks this  just  made  it  good  value, its cheap
        price was not an excuse to  treat  like  a piece of public domain
        software.

        The fact that V3 of OctaMED was  given away on a coverdisk via CU
        Amiga in Britain (June 1992) did nothing  to help the status of a
        programme whose image  was  already  deemed  "confusing"  by most
        Amiga  users.  Here  was  a  programme   which  was  copyrighted,
        appearing on a coverdisk  with  messages  such  as "Although this
        copy of OctaMED was GIVEN AWAY with your "favourite Amiga mag", it
        is still (you guessed  it!)  Copyrighted  and Commercial software
        and copies should only be  made  for  your own personal use." Did
        people take notice of this. OF  COURSE NOT!! OctaMED Pro V3 could
        soon be found in many PD libraries with either the excuse that if
        you could get it  free  on  a  magazine,  it  must  be PD, or the
        ignorance factor: "MED, PD isn't  it?".   It  is probably true to
        say that the OctaMED give-away  was  probably  one of the biggest
        "pullers" that CU Amiga have ever  had on their coverdisks. It is
        also probably true  to  say  that   OctaMED  V3  is  probably the
        easiest copyrighted programme  in   the   Amiga  world  today  to
        get  for nothing.

        "Well," you may ask "what  exactly  can  we do about this?" Well,
        I'm afraid that OctaMED needs an image change. Not because of the
        programme itself but because of the  way people perceive it. Some
        users still honestly believe that V5  is  still PD, and that they
        can distribute it in  the  same  way  as  an  Eric Schwartz anim.
        Reviews of V5 in PD columns of  certain Amiga Mags can do nothing
        but re-inforce this attitude.

        EVEN MORE GUTTED:

        Just before the release of this Christmas Issue, I poked my nose
        into issue 53 of Amiga Format to find..... a PD SPECIAL!!!!

        I wonder what programme it featured.....

                                             Surely not.

       I'm afraid so.

   
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