Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!ariel!ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au!u3364521
From: u3364521@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (Lou Cavallo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Still no Ami businessware.
Message-ID: <1991Mar22.223128.1745@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>
Date: 22 Mar 91 12:31:28 GMT
References: <1991Mar6.201318.11662@acd4.acd.com> <19656@cbmvax.commodore.com>  <12115@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: I.A.E.S.R., Melbourne University
Lines: 45

G'day,

as Charlie Chan would've said "Ahh, Question please" (not directed to David's
and Ethan's news thread I'm following up from) but ...

What happened to the effort near the end of Xmas 89 (I think) to interest the
companies Microsoft and Lotus in a port of (any I guess) s/w to the Amiga ???

Was that effort even a real one rather than just Vapour News?

I (believe) that an AmigaWorld rumour report mentioned a "hmmm, might be, may
be" suggestion that Microsoft Works could be a candidate for an Amiga port.

I sincerely hope that I'm not leading into a vapour/flame thread here.

yours truly,
Lou Cavallo.

PS:  personally I'd prefer to just have *more* good application s/w period to
     having a few big name packages ... but I hasten to say that I understand
     the business necessity of having packages that can be used without retr-
     aining the work force.  {Plus I do admit I'd *love* to shut my friend up
     the next time he asks if the Amiga can run (native mode) "Lotus". :-)}

     Still isn't there some room for grabbing market share with an innovative
     set of new s/w applications? Imagine for instance a fully WYSIWYG TeX(*)
     system with Arexx datbase hooks, spelling checker etc.. where the novice
     user never even gets to know the underlying typesetting engine is TeX...
     Dress this up with the finest Amiga GUI money can have programmed & sell
     it for $400 (pick your currency) with great student pricing and what can
     you imagine you'd say to the next person asking if the Amiga runs Word ?

     Sorry if I'm getting a little heated here :-)

(*)  I realise that AmigaTeX is very close for some users to this already but
     I'm suggesting an interface with no TeX/LaTeX programming for the novice
     whatsoever.  Moreover I do appreciate the why's and wherefore's regardi-
     -ng why designing a document logically rather than visually (WYSIWYG) is
     likely to be better for typesetting good looking documents.  I just feel
     that the ideal system should let one choose when to use either method to
     design a document.

     { Lastly, to preempt a technical discussion of TeX here in csa.a, I do }
     { appreciate that my suggestions have glossed over the difficulties in }
     { making such a package of TeX (projects like VorTeX notwithstanding). }