3D Studio Purchase
First of all, thanks for listing the official Autodesk policy on this thing.
It would appear that the policy in effect at the present is different than what
goes into effect after 2/1/94.
Please don't respond specifically to this message Gary, because I would not
wish to tie your time up in a policy issue when you are more valuable in
keeping the development of new technology on target. I offer the following
rebuttal for general forum comments:
It was stated that the educational process is extremely expensive and industry
needs to assist students in their educational expenses. What ever happened to
the tuition process? Seems like this approach would also assist students
without setting up a communistic approach to product availability. Part of the
educational process is teaching the student to learn to survive in our
capitalistic economic business world. By offering special pricing just because
of ones occupation as student teaches the message that the student needs the
assistance of big business in order to make it. This is certainly the wrong
message as small businesses are popping up all over in this industry and are
becomming quite successful not through handouts but by perserverance and hard
work competing on a level playing field in the commercial markets, (not to
include small business competing for gov't bus. because I realize this market
is not level either)
Having students trained in your software is the best way to get get them to
make a livung… etc.
Agreed! But the way Tandy and Apple did it worked fantastically. You recall,
they offered whole curriculums built arround their platforms to schools all
over the country. Now, almost every elementary school has a computer class
built around these curriculums. (I'm not saying the platform was good, just
their concept of industry assisting students in their education) They got the
students educated on THEIR system and did it without undercutting their
distribution or putting their product on the uncontrollable student market.
Didn't Autodesk consider developing a curriculum around their products? They
could sell a classroom/lab system to the school and achieve much wider student
training level than with the practice of offering a 3DS package for $995. I
know from personal experience that a $995 purchase when I was in school would
have been just as out of reach as one for $3000. It was the academic
scholarships and part time jobs that kept me in school. This was an education
in itself, on the other hand, I don't have any education or training in the
techniques of begging on the street, seeking out handouts based on my
occupation, or working in set asside programs. My total educational process
has been that hard work and perserverance gets success.