Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!linac!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!bywater!arnor!larios!db3l From: db3l@ibm.com (David Bolen) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: Microsoft Upgrade Policy Message-ID: Date: 19 Feb 91 18:57:35 GMT References: <1991Feb14.023744.14888@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> <294@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> <911@ub.d.umn.edu> <298@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> Sender: news@arnor.uucp (NNTP News Poster) Distribution: usa Organization: Laboratory Automation, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center Lines: 43 In-Reply-To: lopes@cogsci.ucsd.EDU's message of 19 Feb 91 08:30:18 GMT In article <298@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> lopes@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (alann lopes) writes: >I do believe that Microsoft's upgrade pollicy for MSC 5.1,6.0,6.0a has >been fair, and that some of their other Developer's tools have been >reasonably priced. Well, I have to admit that I was VERY disappointed that Microsoft had the audacity to charge $15 or so for the set of fix diskettes for MSC 6.0a. MSC 6.0 as shipped was worthless to me - its bug list was truly amazing, and many of the bugs simply prevented me from trusting any of my development to it. So I had spent a good deal of money on a worthless compiler (from my point of view). I didn't return it immediately - after all, this was a new compiler, and I figured Microsoft would fix the problems. So they did, and came out with the set of fixes making 6.0 usable, and they wanted to charge me for them??? These weren't just some minor bug fixes or enhancements - these were *necessary* fixes to create a usable compiler (in my view). I figured Microsoft owed all owners of 6.0 the update. It may not have been in the best interest for Microsoft economically to provide the update for free, but not doing so sure lowered this customer's opinion of them. Initially, they even wanted to have me buy a copy of the update for each copy of the compiler I had! - something they eventually dropped. I understand having costs for a product update, especially when that update provides new features. I think Microsoft dropped the ball on the 6.0-6.0a update though as it was more than just an update to an existing product - it was a required set of fixes to create a usable product. Their charge was just like bumping the price of the 6.0 compiler. -- -- David -- /-----------------------------------------------------------------------\ \ David Bolen / | Laboratory Automation, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center | / P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 \ | - - - - - - - - - - - - M i t h r a n d i r - - - - - - - - - - - - | | Internet : db3l@ibm.com | Bitnet : db3l@yktvmv | | Usenet : uunet!bywater!arnor!larios!db3l | Phone : (914) 945-1940 | | /---------------------------------------------------------------\ | \-( All comments/opinions are mine and don't represent those of IBM )-/ \---------------------------------------------------------------/