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From: rice@willow23.cray.com (Jonathan Rice)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: v08i108: checktd, another author response
Message-ID: <143356.21060@timbuk.cray.com>
Date: 12 Oct 90 19:46:36 GMT
References: <5997@minyos.xx.rmit.oz> <9010121034.AA06799@thep.lu.se>
Organization: Cray Research, Inc., Eagan, MN
Lines: 42

In article <9010121034.AA06799@thep.lu.se> magnus@THEP.LU.SE (Magnus Olsson) writes:

>Programs that are self-documenting with helpscreens and such are very nice, and
>often that kind of documentation is the only one you need and use. However,
>I (and I think many people with me) like to know what a program does *before*
>I run it. 
>
>How am I even supposed to know that the program is self-documenting if
>the only "documentation" enclosed (outside of the program) says "A program to
>do this-or-that. Shareware $20"?  
>
>The reason for my harsh words "Such programs go directly to /dev/null" is that
>I've downloaded and unpacked just too many undocumented programs from BBS's and
>run them, just to find out that they either
>1) Do something quite different than what I expected 
>or
>2) Have a totally incomprehensible user interface.

I'd like to echo this.  There are far too many programs in the archives and
on c.b.i.p to evaluate each one by trial; and at least for me the transfer
from the network to my PC is nontrivial.

When, through news or FTP, I get a program on my Sun, the shell script that
does the transfer unzoos, unarcs, or unzips the file, looks for
documentation, and punts the whole package if there isn't any.  If there is
documentation, then if it is sketchy, illiterate, or "cute" I assume that the
author's other work products are similarly flawed, and delete the package
(wish I could automate *that* step).  Note that at no time have the files
touched a PC, yet only a few remain.

Only if the documentation makes me think the package MIGHT survive a run-time
evaluation do I bother writing it to a stiffy to take home.

Shareware authors expecting to make some money might wish to take Mr.
Olsson's attitude, and mine, into account -- we may be in the minority but I
wouldn't count on it.

--
Jonathan C. Rice     |  Internet: rice@cray.com
Cray Research, Inc.  |  UUCP:     uunet!cray!rice
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