academic holiday specials

[attila@breeze.bellcore.com]

In article <1991Oct24.201139.2103@ALEX.ims.bellcore.com>  GRoberts@yukon.scrc.symbolics.com (Gary Roberts) writes:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As a way of introducing our Academic customers to the new MacIvory model
> 3, Symbolics is pleased to announce the following special prices.  These
> prices are available to U.S. Academic institutions (subject to
> restrictions on resale) through Dec 27, 1991 (after which they revert to
> regular Academic prices, which are a bit higher). 
> 
> MacIvory model 3 processor with 2 MW memory, Ivory rev. 4 processor,
> 	Genera Development software package including CLIM, CLOS, etc.
> 
> 	Quantity 1:         $7,500
> 	Quantity 2 or more: $5,000
> 
> Statice Object-oriented database development system
> 
> 	Single system license:	$500
> 	Site license:		$2,000
> 
> Joshua development system
> 
> 	Single system license:	$500
> 	Site license:		$2,000
>
 
Hello,

I haven't read this group in a long time.  Still using lispms though...
So the first time I look, lo and behold, prices are on the agenda.
And, there are the usual complaints....

So, to put the prices in perspective: we paid $50,000 for a Statice site
license.  [Yes I got all the zeros correct.]  The price was 15,000 for a
single user copy of Joshua.  Mind you, this was 2 years ago.

Comparing the 50,000 to 2,000 dollars, the academics get a 96% discount.
Well, I would say this is SPECTACULAR.  Symbolics deserves a big thank
you.

If you haven't followed the OODBMS market, it is hard to appreciate how
good the Symbolics price is.  The closest competitor, Itasca, charged
2,000 per machine, or 75,000-150,000 per site early this year.  You need
a minimum of TWO licenses because of the client server architecture, or
run your stuff on the server and let the other applications suffer the
performance hit.  Interface tools and related stuff cost about another
1,000 per machine.  You also need an Allegro or Lucid license to run the
Itasca software.  I cannot recall the price Lucid, but it wasn't cheap.
But in any case, the cost of the Itasca software solution EXCEEDED the
price of the hardware.

Overall, the price of a MacIvory3 with Lisp, Joshua and Statice, CLOS,
and CLIM, the total is less than a SparcStation3 with Allegro, the
Composer, CLIM, Itasca, some production system.  And you got a Mac to
play with.  :-)

Leslie Walko
attila@bellcore.com