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From: knrgroup@garnet.berkeley.edu (Raymond group)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Not another NeXT defector???!!!
Message-ID: <1990Nov8.053938.16341@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 8 Nov 90 05:39:38 GMT
References: <1990Nov5.064724.16646@agate.berkeley.edu> <2920@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM> <1990Nov8.025425.9868@rice.edu>
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>    This weeks Infoworld has an column that slams into Lotus for their choice
>of NeXT for their latest product instead of Windows 3.0.  They point out that
>Lotus admits that a Windows 3.0 version will not be out in 1991 and that 
>whatever new features Lotus has done will likely be duplicated by Microsoft
>and others on Windows and the Mac long before Lotus has versions for those
>OS's.  Their point is that either Lotus has the wrong product, or the wrong
>time or in this case the wrong platform.

If Lotus had tried to develop Improv on Windows 3.0, it may well have taken
till 1992 to come out with a version of Improv for any machine.  Moreover,
it probably would have had half the functionality and even less of the looks.
This is the advantage of 8 MB of RAM, virtual memory, large screen, lots
of hard disk space, etc.  

As for whether Microsoft or other companies will come out with an Improv
workalike for Windows before Lotus.  I don't see how this is possible.  
Improv is not a traditional spreadsheet with fancy features added.  It is an
entire rethinking of what a spreadsheet should be.  Microsoft would have to
design and implement an entirely new product to match the one that Lotus
has already designed and implemented and only needs to port.  At any rate,
if Microsoft tried to come up with an Improv workalike, Lotus would 
probably slap them silly with a lawsuit (an unfortunate tendency that
Lotus has). 

Remember too that Lotus owns the PC spreadsheet market with 1-2-3.  PC
owners, I think would be more likely to move up to a new Lotus product
(with 1-2-3 compatibility by the way) than go with another brand 
altogether.  

>Their point is that either Lotus has the wrong product, or the wrong
>time or in this case the wrong platform.

They've been listening to Bill Gates too long.

I hear Lotus has decided to introduce all new products on the NeXT first.
I think there are two reasons for this:
  1)  It is quicker and easier to design, implement, and then port a
      interface-intensive application from a NeXT to a PC than to 
      design and implement the app entirely on the PC.
  2)  The NeXT with its GUI and power really showcases a software
      product.