Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!decwrl!adobe!bezanson
From: bezanson@adobe.COM (Brian Bezanson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: ATM and HP LaserJet II-compaitble printers
Message-ID: <1442@adobe.UUCP>
Date: 12 Nov 89 01:39:50 GMT
References: <5907@shlump.nac.dec.com> <2046@network.ucsd.edu> <1432@adobe.UUCP> <2061@network.ucsd.edu>
Reply-To: bezanson@adobe.UUCP (Brian Bezanson)
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Lines: 40

In article <2061@network.ucsd.edu> dpaight@weber.UUCP (Dan Paight) writes:
>I'm not sure it's such a good idea
>to release a software enhancement for Imagewriters when that
>enhancement produces bad-looking text on such a popular piece of
>software as MS Word.

My answer to this will follow in a reply to a related message. But for now
I repeat that ATM works, and very well if you listen to our users. I doubt any
company could put an indefinte hold on a product because someone else doesn't
do things correctly. More later on this point.

>In short, it doesn't matter whose "fault" it is. Adobe ought to make
>it clear to potential customers that ATM and certain popular
>programs do not work exactly right together.  

If potential customers call our support number or order number and ask about
compatibility, they are given the facts as best they are known. I can't
see a manufacturer (like Adobe) put stickers or lenghty text on  a package or
in an adertisement saying that using so and so's application doesn't work
correctly given this situation, blah, blah. For one, the application
developer might file a lawsuit for one reason or another, or they may have a fix
in a few weeks, etc...

Let me point out that Adobe wants its customers to feel like 'King'
(or 'Queen' - since we don't discriminate ;-). Adobe is working with Microsoft
and other developers to work out these problems, and any fixes that could
be incorporated into ATM are also being worked on. If you don't have a need for
ATM, fine. A lot of people don't have a need for System 6.0, and they get their
work done great under 4.1 and MacWrite 4.5 and MacCalc 1.0. If you need the 
features of ATM or System 6 (7 next year), you'll get it and use it to do
your job better. There is a fix for Word 4 and the Imagewriter now (not
from Microsoft though) to work better with ATM. If the spacing is still a 
problem, try the Apple screen fonts - their default spacing is narrower. Or
use Fontographer to generate new widths for the bitmaps from the FOND. I hope
these suggestions help.

-- 
Brian Bezanson                                          bezanson@adobe.com
Adobe Systems Incorporated           The opinions expressed above are my
                                     own and may not represent those of Adobe.