Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!emory!mephisto!mcnc!ecsgate!ecsvax!utoddl
From: utoddl@uncecs.edu (Todd M. Lewis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re:  FRED FISH CD ROM?
Message-ID: <1990Aug17.141507.12721@uncecs.edu>
Date: 17 Aug 90 14:15:07 GMT
References: <1860@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> <1990Aug17.091116.20242@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>
Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service
Lines: 36

In article <1990Aug17.091116.20242@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:
>[Great sales idea, CBM.  IS ANYBODY LISTENING?  Why do we keep having to
> ask that?  There should be somebody from Commodore sales mining the net
> for sales ideas as a full time job, we shouldn't have to bully them into

First, let me assure you the folks at C= notice what goes across the net.
They can't (and shouldn't) jump every time somebody says "frog" but they
do keep an ear out for good ideas.  Having the entire Fish Disk library
on CD-ROM is a good idea.  Having it come from Commodore is not.  You see,
if a company releases a disk with their logo on it, no amount of explaining
is going to satisfy the new user who just bought the thing and is trying
to make it work.  Things like "that hasn't worked since 1.1" and "it doesn't
free all its resources but it is a good example of mumblephrump so that's
why it's there" won't cut it in the consumer market.  This one will be
extremely popular: "We know it crashes your system but it simply has to
be there for historical reasons."  Unfortunately, too much of the stuff on
the Fish Disk require such disclaimers.  You and I are more understanding
because we have written our share of bugs over the years, but to put
them on a CD with the red and blue chicken-head may be just short of wise.
I can't imagine how you could put enough disclaimers on the package.

All this considered, there are several, even many selections on the Fish
Disks which are worth including on a Commodore-endorsed CD.  There are also
several items the distribution of which is restricted to the FF library--
it isn't at all clear if they could be included in a CD from some source
other than Our Man Fish.

I would like to see the Fish Disks on CD, but the reputation of C= is
only as good as it's products, and some of the library contents would
cause problems in that area if C= were to produce such a CD.
_____        
  |      Todd M. Lewis            Disclaimer: If you want my employer's
  ||\/|  utoddl@ecsvax.uncecs.edu             ideas, you'll have to
  ||  || utoddl@ecsvax.bitnet, @unc.bitnet    _buy_ them. 
   |  || utoddl@next1.mscre.unc.edu 
       |___   ("Prgrms wtht cmmnts r lk sntncs wtht vwls." --TML)