Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!samsung!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!rsiatl!nanovx!msa3b!kevin
From: kevin@msa3b.UUCP (Kevin P. Kleinfelter)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Actor 3.0
Message-ID: <1413@msa3b.UUCP>
Date: 14 Oct 90 21:31:24 GMT
References: <1990Oct12.222349.9097@mentor.com>
Organization: Management Science America, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Lines: 45

plogan@mentor.com (Patrick Logan) writes:

>I'd appreciate receiving bits of history and words of advice wrt
>Actor, particularly Actor 3.0. What problems/limits have you run into.
>What are the great things about it. Etc.

I found it had an annoying tendency to hang my machine. Little things
like entering example code from the manual should not force a
reboot!  I sent it back.  Here is a portion of a memo to my manager on
the topic:

=======
Here is why we are returning Actor:

* No screen painter.  The salesthing said it has one.  The only one I can
  find is a dialog editor, and the Windows SDK provides one already.

* The "wordAt" function does not behave as documented.  This function
  supposedly provides access to data located at any address.  If it is
  passed an address outside of the data area for the executing program,
  it hangs the system. (Probably a Windows 386 mode restriction, but
  there is no mention of this in the doc.)

* Setting "NMIBreak=1" in WIN.INI does NOT enable Ctrl-Alt-SysRq
  to trap to the debugger.  It is documented to do so.

* Error messages are terrible.  For example, loading a DLL, where
  a function referenced in Actor is not in the DLL produces the
  message "Can't convert to Windows short argument".

* No support for any DBMS; we would have to write it.

* Not possible to switch Actor to another project/program without
  restarting Actor.

* One must copy ACTOR.EXE and ACTOR.IMA from a backup copy in order
  to get back to a "clean" environment.
=====

They took it back very nicely after a little delay.  
-- 
Kevin Kleinfelter @ Dun and Bradstreet Software, Inc (404) 239-2347
{emory,gatech}!nanovx!msa3b!kevin

"Don't hold your finger on the button if the motor ain't goin' roundy-roundy."