Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!terminator!ruddles.sprl.umich.edu!jfmjfm
From: jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu (John F. Mansfield)
Subject: Microsoft Upgrade/Bugfix policy (lack thereof)
Message-ID: <1990May8.132419.10582@terminator.cc.umich.edu>
Sender: usenet@terminator.cc.umich.edu (usenet news)
Organization: U of Michigan, ITD Research Systems
Date: Tue, 8 May 90 13:24:19 GMT

Organization: University of Michigan Electron Microbeam Analysis Lab.

Recently I posted questions about why Microsoft word 4.0 and the WIDELY 
publicized bug fix version 4.0a ( BUG fix, are you listening Bill?) were 
continually bombing on my Mac IIci.  Now I had called Microsoft support 
and the  guy there after being told my configuration told me he couldnt 
think of any reason and told me not to use any inits!  "Yeah, well, our 
program works real well but dont use it with anything else!!!" Marvellous.
Okay so after my post a few people mail to me and tell me that there is a 
version 4.0b, so again I call Microsoft support and tell them my problem.  
I tell them that I am using 2 monitors and and ethernet card and the 
support "specialist" agains tells me that 4.0a should be fine.  Well I ask 
for 4.0b and he says it shouldnt make any difference and I insist and he 
tells me to call another number and ask for the upgrade.  Now I do that 
and am told it will take 8 or 9 days to get it to me, here I am, writing a 
proposal and have a totally unreliable word processing program.  I have to 
resort to WriteNow (which incidentally has NEVER crashed my machine (II, 
IIci or SE/30).  The only reason I dont use WriteNow all the time is 
everyone else around here uses Word and for compatibilitys sake I do too. 
ASIDE HERE:
Why doesnt soemone make a word processing program that both READS and 
WRITES the common wors processing file formats?  They all seem to READ 
other peoples but why not write too?
END ASIDE.
Anyway while waiting for the upgrade/bug fix I get a call from a Microsoft 
product manager and he tells me he is responsible for word. He read my 
news posting and thought he better try and help since people on NewsNet 
seemed to carry a fair amount of weight.  Are you listening folks? He said 
it sounded like word was interfering with some NuBus memory and 4.0b would 
help.  He said that he would send it out to me quickly.  I thanked him and 
sat back and waited. I then discovered that I had a colleague who was 
going to visit Microsoft the next day and so I called the guy back and 
asked him if he could pass the disk along to my friend or the people she 
was meeting.  He said that would be tricky but he would send it out next 
day air instead.  It may have helped that the people that my friend was 
visiting were big mucky-mucks in the company, because I got a copy of 4.0b 
the next day.  I also got the upgrade from the upgrade people too!! BUT 
that was 4.0A!!!!!!!!!! Good job this guy was actually on the ball!!!
Now the Major points:
1. I want to thank the guy who called me Paul Davies he was most helpful 
and knew what was going on.
2. I want to bitch and moan like hell at product support and the upgrade 
section for not having a clue what is going on.
3. I also want to say to Bill Gates "DONT MAKE PROMISES YOU DONT HAVE A 
PRAYER OF KEEPING!" 
4. I want to ask WHY Word development is done on Compaqs instead of Macs?
5. Why in heavens name dont they tell us the USERS that there is an 
incompatibility and there IS an UPGRADE/BUG FIX!!!!!????????????????
I spent the better part of 4 days trying to find out why their stupid 
program was bombing all the time, why cant Microsoft tell people when they 
release an upgrade or bug fix? I know why they have a president who would 
look stupid if he admitted that the BUG free program wasnt.  But WE all 
KNEW that this would be the case before Word4 even shipped!!!!
Enough I'm tired.


John Mansfield, North Campus Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory, 
University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2143.
(313) 936-3352
jfmjfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu or John_Mansfield@um.cc.umich.edu