Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!chuq
From: chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: HyperCard 2.0
Message-ID: <36655@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 20 Nov 89 19:07:21 GMT
References: <31728@watmath.waterloo.edu> <14078@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Organization: Life is just a Fantasy novel played for keeps
Lines: 34

>(Hello?  Hello?  Is anyone at Apple listening?)

*Yawn* *Stretch* Um, what? Huh? Sorry, I was taking a nap.

Without confirming or denying anything, let me attempt to muddy the waters
thusly: I find it amusing that a company would get villified if they
pre-announce (i.e. vaporware) a product before it's ready to ship. And can
get villified just as strongly for keeping quiet until the egg is ready to
hatch. Given that, it's a no-win situation. If this mythical hypercard 2.0
exists, and I'm not saying anything about whether it does or not, and if
Apple were to announce in July, 1990 that it won't ship until September,
2001, (are those dates unrealistic enough to stay out of MacLeek? Hope
so...), then everyone would jump down Apple's throats for pre-announcing
things that don't exist.

On the other hand, since Apple hasn't said anything, we're getting people
jumping down our throats for *not* pre-announcing things that don't exist.
Seems like a silly concept to me.

Me, personally, I'd rather a company keep their mouth shut until they know
what's going into it and when it's going to ship. The alternative (the
"Fullwrite will ship next week, really, honest, for sure this time!" or the
"Lotus 1-2-3 is going to be the best thing since sliced bread!" syndromes)
generate a lot of heat and negative vibes all around.

Disclaimer: since I work with Unix and not hypercard, I don't know what I'm
talking about. Which should be obvious....

-- 

Chuq Von Rospach   <+>    Editor,OtherRealms    <+>   Member SFWA/ASFA
chuq@apple.com   <+>   CI$: 73317,635   <+>   [This is myself speaking]

All it takes is one thorn to make you forget the dozens of roses on the bush.