----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I'd venture to guess that if they sold the CD-ROM over the counter there is an excellent chance that somebody wouldn't get the names and addresses of the buyers and they'd have a less than clear idea of who is actually interested in the availability of these CDs. I'd bet they probably haven't thought of setting up a registration mechanism with the promise of advance notices, etc., if you do register (based on the fact that practically nobody else in the gummint registers software either -- if they did, it would make justification of upgrades/support/ etc., for their future budgets much easier, I'd think). virginia