Friday, September 30, 1988/The Battalion/Page 3
State and Local
Practice of renting out software
causes conflict among dealers
By Wayne Lowe
Reporter
There is a new breed of computer
store in College Station: Floppy
Joe’s, a software rental and sales
store.
With the increasing diversity of
software, it is becoming more diffi
cult to find a program that does
what you want the way you want it.
Floppy Joe’s is trying to solve that
problem as a “try before you buy”
software store.
Other software dealers have dif
fering opinions about the ethics of
renting software.
“1 think they’re just about forcing
people to break the law,” said Com
puter Access owner John Flynn,
Class of ’86. “By renting the software
they are making it easier for people
to copy, which is against the law.”
Flynn said Floppy Joe’s is not in
truding into his market, which pri
marily includes the University and
small businesses. He said there are
some benefits to rental services,
however, such as the rental of Nin
tendo game cartriges which cannot
be copied.
Cody Sperry, manager of E&I
Computers, said, “For the software
that they’re renting, it’s not that bad
an idea because most are games.
With a game you get it, you play it
and in two or three days it’s over.”
He said there is probably some pi
racy of rented software, but not a
large amount. Many games cannot
be played without user’s manuals.
Paul Rodriguez, manager of the
Texas A&M University Micro Cen
ter, said, “I think their ethics are
questionable. The first thing that
comes to my mind is, is it legal?”
Eric Bessell, manager of Floppy
Joe’s, said there is nothing wrong
with his ethics and that software
rental is just like movie rental.
Communications Manager Jack
Krammer of MicroProse Simulation
Software, a computer game man
ufacturer, said that his company
does not oppose the idea of busi
nesses’ renting the software they
write. “The more people see our
games, the more they will want
them.”
Floppy Joe’s employee George
Bryant said, “We give people a
chance to see if they like the software
before they buy it. At most places,
once you buy the software, they
won’t let you bring it back.”
Bryant said Floppy Joe’s doesn’t
encourage copying, but if someone
takes a game home and copies it, not
much can be done about it. The
store does not sell copying programs
because it does not want to encour
age copying, Bryant said.
After paying a one-time $20
membership fee, software rental is
$5 for three days or $7.50 for a
week. If the user wishes, after 10
days of rental use, the charges can be
applied to the purchase of the
software.
Anti-apartheid group
plans to build shanty
New gallery to hold
cameo glass exhibit
By Kathleen Reilly
Staff Writer
Texas A&M’s Students Against
Apartheid group plans to build an
anti-apartheid shanty on campus
Sunday.
Kevin Shive, SAA public relations
chairman, says tbe group is building
the shanty to make students aware of
the conditions caused by apartheid
in South Africa. The group built a
shanty last year as well.
Construction of the shanty will be
gin at noon and last until about 3
.m, Shive says. The shack will be
uilt behind the Academic Building,
in the location the group chose last
year to assure that many people
would see the shanty.
The shack will be built with do
nated materials and anything else
the group members can find, he
says. A supporter of the group in
Bryan will donate wood for the con
struction of the shanty.
“If anyone tears it down, we will
rebuild it,” Shive, a senior psychol
ogy major says. “No matter how
many times it occurs we’ll be out
there rebuilding.”
Shive says he hopes no incidents
occur like last year’s, in which two
students crucified birds and hung
them in the shack.
“We expect it to be torn down
within the first two days or at least
defaced,” he says. “But we will show
our commitment by coming back
and rebuilding. Our permit is for
ten days and we want the shanty to
be up everyday.”
University Police Department Di
rector Bob Wiatt approved the
building permit, which allows the
group to display the shanty for ten
days.
One stipulation of the permit was
that no one would guard the shanty.
Having guards in the shack might
encourage violence, Wiatt says.
SAA also is working with MSC
Great Issues to inform students of
poor conditions in the community.
“We are concerned about South Af
rica, but we are also concerned with
the surrounding community,” Shive
says.
If the shanty causes discussion
and debate, one of SAA’s major
goals will be fulfilled, he says.
By Sharon Maberry
Staff Wr iter
The MSC will house a new art gal
lery to be opened later this year.
The MSC Forsyth Center Galle
ries, located in the southwest corner
of the MSC’s ground floor, where
the Association of Former Students
used to be, will feature an exhibition
of English cameo glass from the Bill
and Irma Runyon Art Collections.
Runyon, Class of ’35, donated his
collection of sculptured glass to the
University.
The opening of the MSC Forsyth
Center Galleries will feature about
130 pieces of the glass. Many pieces
were created by George Woodall, a
major English cameo glass sculptor.
The cameo glass will be displayed
for 12 to 18 months, says |oe Arre
dondo, coordinator of the MSC F or
syth Center Galleries and curator of
the Runyon Collections. Then, other
art glass from the Runyon Collec
tions will be shown, including Art
Nouveau glass and other turn-of-
the-century art glass.
The MSC Forsyth Center Galle
ries also will exhibit Runyon’s collec
tion of American paintings, includ
ing Western works and American
Impressionism.
Arredondo says he hopes to show
different types of art in the four or
five galleries that will make up the
Forsyth Center Galleries.
The purpose of the Galleries is to
display high-quality art exhibits to
the University for those who might
not be able to see them elsewhere, he
says.
Supreme Court Justice to speak Oct. 1
Texas Supreme Court Justice
Barbara Culver will hold a news
conference at 10 a.m. Saturday in
302 Rudder Tower.
Culver, who occupies Place 4
on the Court, was appointed in
January by Gov. Bill Clements.
If re-elected Nov. 8, she will be
the first woman in Texas history
to be elected to the Court.
Culver will answer questions
about the level of education in
Texas, financial aid and other
concerns of A&M students.
A reception will follow at 11
a.m. in 308 Rudder.
Ceremony to rename building for Bell
University News Service
Former Texas A&M University
System Regent H.C. “Dulie” Bell
of Austin will be honored at his
alma mater Saturday when a cam
pus building will be redesignated
to bear his name.
The structure, to be known as
the H.C. “Dulie” Bell Building,
has been informally called the
“USDA Building” because the fa
cility was leased for many years to
the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture for office and laboratory
space. Now A&M is the exclusive
occupant of the landmark on the
northwest corner of the main
portion of the campus
Ceremonies will be at 10 a.m.
in room 101 of the Heep Center
for Soil and Crop Sciences, a
nearby building with larger ac
commodations.
A regent emeritus since 1986,
Bell served in a variety of lead
ership positions during his 12
years on the board, including
board vice chairman and chair
man of the planning and building
committee.
A 1939 graduate of A&M, Bell
founded Central Texas Equip
ment Co. in 1946 and was presi
dent of the company for more
than 30 years.
‘Verdi Requiem’ opens OPAS season
By Leslie Guy
Entertainment Editor
Musicians from the Metropolitan
Opera, the Houston Symphony
Chorus and the Brazos Valley
Symphony will perform tonight
at 8 in the Rudder Theatre Com
plex at Texas A&M. Their per
formance of the Verdi Requiem
will open the MSC Opera and
Performing Arts Society (OPAS)
1988-89 season.
“This is the largest choral pre
sentation we’ve ever brought to
Rudder,” said Traci Ratliff, co-di
rector of PR/Marketing for OPAS
16.
“This is something we’ve
wanted to do for a long time. Ev
eryone is really excited.”
The four soloists, Francis Gins
berg, soprano; Gary Bachlund,
tenor; Diane Curry, mezzo-so
prano and Kurt Link, bass, regu
larly perform with the Metropol
itan Opera in New York as well as
other international opera compa
nies.
The 200-member Houston
Symphony Chorus has been with
the Houston Symphony Orches
tra for 40 years and sings guest
performances across the country.
The 70-member Brazos Valley
Symphony Orchestra, conducted
by Franz Krager, has been per
forming in the Brazos Valley
since 1981 and is dedicated to
providing a great orchestra to the
community, Ratliff said.
Anne Black, executive director
for OPAS 16, said bringing Verdi
Requiem w'ill start their 16th sea
son on a high note with a unique
blend of artists.
Tickets for Verdi Requiem are
still available at the MSC Box Of
fice in Rudder Tower for $15.50
for students and $18.50 for non
students.
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50
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mens or ladies
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small $14 9S
large $19 95
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Rolex Watches
We buy, sell and trade
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Ruby, Amethyst, Sapphires, Emer
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We have a large stock of these col
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Texas Ave.
Texas 6
★ Texas Coin Exchange
Texas A&M
TEXAS COIN EXCHANGE
404 University, Behind Shellenbergers 846-8905 846-8916
Hours:
M-F 9-5:30 Sat. 9-3:00
Lay-Away for X-mas