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From: louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Adobe Illustrator, more on WingZ
Keywords: document interchange, Mac and NeXT
Message-ID: <1990Dec5.145654.12232@ni.umd.edu>
Date: 5 Dec 90 14:56:54 GMT
References: <1040@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <8818@adobe.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ni.umd.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: The University of Maryland, College Park
Lines: 52

In article <8818@adobe.UUCP> baffico@adobe.UUCP (Tom Baffico) writes:

>Illustrator on the Mac and Illustrator on the NeXT
>will be able to interchange files, no problem.

If I'm not mistaken, we've been hearing rumors about Adobe Illustrator
for the NeXT for quite some time now.  So when can someone actually
BUY this thing to get the capability described?  I need a good
structured drawing program that's compatible with existing Mac
platforms.

Until I can get it, I have to consider it vaporware, just like the
beta version of Improv that I'm testing.

Speaking of vaporware, and regarding a previous message that I sent
about my order for WingZ.  I got lots of mail from folks saying that
the have actually received a copy of WingZ.  After talking with Campus
Technology (the people that distribute educational versions) and
Informix, I think that I have the story.  It seems that Informix is
having difficulty getting blank OD media to ship the product on, and
this is part of the delay.

It also seems that the relationship between Campus Technology and
Informix is not as smooth as it could be.  Campus Technology told me a
month ago that I had to change the vendor on my purchase order from
Campus Tech to Informix, as Informix was going to ship the product
directly.  Campus Tech also told me a week or so ago that "Informix
had removed the product from the market"... this is what finally
prompted my call to Informix to get the real story.  Informix seems
quite concerned that I was told this.  I asked them if they could ship
on 3.5" media, and they are going to check on the possibility.

This is a very serious situtation where a product exists, but can't
ship to anxious customers because of a shortage of media!  I predict
that if you don't have a floppy on your system in the future, you can
forget about using commercial software.  It is hard to imagine that
the OD media situation is going to improve, rather than worsen.

I think Informix is making a big mistake using Campus Technology to
deal with their educational customers.  Would I recommend that we buy
WingZ for the NeXT workstations in our Labs?  Hell no, I can't even
BUY a copy to test the stupid product!  Most every other vendor that
I've worked with deals directly with their educational customers,
rather than removing them futher from company.  And now, I could get
Improv for free if we upgraded the CPUs in those machines.

They lost on a window of opportunity to capture the NeXT spreadsheet
product, when they were the only game in town to fill a void.

They might have a wonderful product, but I sure wouldn't know it.

louie