Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!emory!mephisto!mcnc!rti!mozart!walker
From: walker@unx.sas.com (Doug Walker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Lattice Upgrade
Keywords: Question about Lattice Support...
Message-ID: <1990Aug27.194640.807@unx.sas.com>
Date: 27 Aug 90 19:46:40 GMT
References: <13240@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Lines: 43

In article <13240@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> hutsonda@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Dwayne Hutson) writes:
>I have to wonder where my money went to when I purchased the Lattice
>product.  I have enjoyed the use I have gotten from the Lattice compiler,
>but I distinctly remember a Lattice salesman tell me at the AmiExpo in
>August of '89 that any upgrade that was 5.x would be free.  He said only
>major releases which would have a new number such as 6.x would cost the
>customer money.  This is one reason I chose Lattice over Aztec.
>What has happened?  I supported and wrote in Lattice's defense when they
>were recieving negative comments last update, over the mixup of the 5.4
>upgrade.  Now I am wondering if I should have said anything at all.
>Is there no longer real customer support anymore.  I mean it really isn't
>support if you have to pay a good percentage of the cost of the original
>itself.
>

I seriously doubt any Lattice salesperson told you that no charge would
be made for any 5.x upgrade.  There was not a charge for any 5.x upgrade
in existence at that time, and there were not plans to charge for the
5.04 upgrade which was in beta at that time.  If someone told you that
there would never be a charge for any upgrade starting with '5', they
were out of line.

It has been over two years since Lattice/SAS has come out with an 
upgrade that cost money.  SAS Institute could have easily decided
to call this release 6.0 - what's in a name, after all? - if they
chose to do so.  Your 5.04 or 5.05 compiler has not LOST any features
or functionality, so if you don't want to take advantage of the
new stuff, you can keep on using the compiler that you have apparently
been satisfied with so far.

I really don't think it is unreasonable to charge for this upgrade
when you consider the amount of work that has gone into it, and the
number of free upgrades you have already received.  Any arguments
based on the (totally arbitrary) release number are irrelevant; I
think you have to look at the value you are getting.


  *****
=*|_o_o|\\=====Doug Walker, Software Distiller====== BBS: (919)460-7430 =
 *|. o.| ||
  | o  |//     For all you do, this bug's for you!
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