Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!anise.acc.com!ucsd!ucbvax!pro-sol.cts.com!lhaider
From: lhaider@pro-sol.cts.com (Lawrence Haider)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Writing a Custom FST
Message-ID: <8909092140.AA18977@trout.nosc.mil>
Date: 9 Sep 89 20:58:58 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 24

Network Comment: to #10844 by dlyons@apple.com

>the policy on FSTs is that Apple writes them all.  (Dave Lyons)

If Apple must write all of the FSTs, why are they so slow in providing a
decent collection of FSTs that would be useful for their end users.  Just the
basics for MS-DOS and Mac file system translation would be more than useful
for anyone (like me) who must use more than just the //gs in their day to day
business and personal lives.

Why not let third parties develope FSTs, even if they may become incompatible?
It seems to me that even Apple's FSTs currently provided would need to be
re-written should an OS update be released; why not allow third party
developer to write, update, and improve their own FSTs.  It all sound like
twisted logic and a need to "control" the market on Apple's part.

Let's either get Apple to provide some decent FSTs to the users or let the
users make it themselves.  BTW, Morgan Davis (the one who brought up the
question) is VERY knowledgable about Apple IIs (in case you didn't know), and
is one of the few programmers who I feel would be responsible enough to
support any FSTs he writes, and imaginative enough to make something that's
USEFUL.
  (Stepping down from the soapbox)
                                        Laer