---
title: "(Life in the IBM World) Do You Want to Make a Deal or Pay Full Price?"
type: "article"
slug: "life-in-the-ibm-world-do-you-want-to-make-a-deal-or-pay-full-price"
url: "http://localhost/article/life-in-the-ibm-world-do-you-want-to-make-a-deal-or-pay-full-price/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/life-in-the-ibm-world-do-you-want-to-make-a-deal-or-pay-full-price.md"
published_at: "2026-01-19T15:40:15+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-01-19T15:40:16+00:00"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20230809-041332.jpg"
excerpt: "ON the left of the Egghead Software shelf sits a box of software priced at $209.93. ON the right is a virtually identical box at $439.83. The $229.90 difference? The left-hand box is prominently labeled “Upgrade.” The other one might as well be labeled: “Ridiculously overpriced! For suckers only!”"
category:
  - name: "CATS Newsletter"
    slug: "cats-newsletter"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/cats-newsletter/"
indiv:
  - name: "Ruth Fegley"
    slug: "ruth-fegley"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/ruth-fegley/"
publication_r:
  id: 35941
  title: "CATS Newsletter"
  type: "periodical"
  url: "http://localhost/periodical/cats-newsletter/"
authors_r:
  - name: "Ruth Fegley"
    slug: "ruth-fegley"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/ruth-fegley/"
volume: "13"
issue: "9-10b"
issues_articles:
  - id: 39669
    title: "CATS v13 n9-10b"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/cats-v13-n9-10-2/"
pages: "3"
pubdate: "March - April 1996"
archive_link: false
---

# (Life in the IBM World) Do You Want to Make a Deal or Pay Full Price?

ON the left of the Egghead Software shelf sits a box of software priced at $209.93.

ON the right is a virtually identical box at $439.83. The $229.90 difference? The left-hand box is prominently labeled “Upgrade.” The other one might as well be labeled: “Ridiculously overpriced! For suckers only!”