Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!mips!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucbvax!THEP.LU.SE!magnus
From: magnus@THEP.LU.SE (Magnus Olsson)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: v08i108: checktd, check time and date (part 01/01)
Message-ID: <9010051213.AA01056@thep.lu.se>
Date: 5 Oct 90 12:22:56 GMT
References: <1990Oct5.103423.8051@uwasa.fi>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: Theoretical Physics, University of Lund, Sweden
Lines: 59

In article <1990Oct5.103423.8051@uwasa.fi> ts@uwasa.fi writes:
>In article <2022@sixhub.UUCP> ibmbin-request@crdgw1.crd.ge.com writes:
>>Posting-number: Volume 08, Issue 108
>>Submitted-by: rxcob@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au
>>Archive-name: checktd/part01
>>
>>As nearly as I can tell, this is intended to be used in a batch file.
>>There is no documentation. It is called with a date and time, and
>>returns ERRLEVEL set to values for before, at, or after the time given
>>on the command line. Shareware $20.
>
>I have taken a slightly closer look at some of the wares distributed
>in the binaries, admittedly partly because I have written and
>distributed a similar programs myself in a couple of instances. 
>Here are some of my observations on four programs all by the same
>author.  Perhaps I'm too harsh, but in my opinion (with one
>exception) they fail to reach a fair quality limit for
>comp.binaries.ibm.pc. 

[stuff deleted]

>Prof. Timo Salmi        (Moderating at anon. ftp site 128.214.12.3)
>School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
>Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun


I can't judge the quality of these programs (the original poster's, not
Prof. Salmi's), since I havn't tested them.
But let me just add my own, rather arrogant, opinion:
(Mild flame follows)

I see it as almost an insult to the users to send out small, almost trivial
programs (with some - not all - of the programs mentioned above,
any programmer worth his salt could hack together an equivalent Turbo Pascal 
program in 20 minutes), *withouth documentation* and with just the note 
"Shareware $20" attached.
This somehow gives me the feeling that the author sees his program just as
a simple way of making money, not as a service to other people (and that's
after all what software distribution via Usenet really should be!)

I normally move such programs directly to /dev/null ! 

I'm not saying that you shouldn't post your programs if they're small and
if you don't have the time to write docs for them.

Also, even if the program isn't worth $20, for me, maybe it is for someone
else.

BUT - if you ask me to pay $20 for it, you should AT LEAST
have the courtesy to include some proper documentation. And this is
true even if your program is "self-documenting" - I'd like to know
what it does *before* I run it! 


Magnus Olsson		     	| \e+ 	   /_	      
Dept. of Theoretical Physics 	|  \  Z	  / q	      
University of Lund, Sweden	|   >----<	      
Internet: magnus@thep.lu.se	|  /	  \===== g    
Bitnet: THEPMO@SELDC52 		| /e-	   \q