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From: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: ** Watchout for the Abaton Interfax **
Message-ID: <1991May1.080409.25352@silvlis.com>
Date: 1 May 91 08:04:09 GMT
References: <1991Apr25.062500.13237@alias.com> <1991Apr30.232823.29984@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> <1991May1.005715.3439@swbatl.sbc.com>
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In article <1991May1.005715.3439@swbatl.sbc.com> george@swbatl.sbc.com (George Nincehelser 5-6544) writes:
>In article <1991Apr30.232823.29984@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> rsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (Roby Sherman) writes:
>>In <1991Apr25.062500.13237@alias.com> rae@alias.com (Reid Ellis) writes:
>>
>>
>>>Well, let's not pick on *ONLY* Abaton, then.  How about CE Software?
>>>Have you tried to get a 32-bit clean version of Quickmail's QuickInit?
>>>The reply we got was "it will ship the same time System 7 ships".  I
[...]
>>Well, I happen to agree with CE. I mean REALLY, you expect them to support a
>>product not even shipping? It's not their problem that you picked up a beta
>>of some operating system which only developers are supposed to have anyway.
>>I mean, really, get real!
>>
>Well, considering Microsoft is now shipping a product that uses the features
>of System 7, I'd have to say the "we can't release it till System 7 is
>released" excuse is pretty lame.

Like he said, get real. Microsoft has vastly more resources available
than CE has.

Microsoft's answer up to the point they shipped Excel 3.0 was "We're
shipping no new versions until System 7 releases". Does it sound less
lame when they use the same reason?

The difference is that Microsoft probably had the resource to prepare
quicker to the changes between "Final Candidate" 1 through n. 

I guess it wasn't lame while Microsoft was using it, but is lame when
you expect small companies to have the resource to react as fast as a
huge company.

>
>More than developers have legit copies of System 7.  Major customers have
>them, too.

Wrong. Major customers who have *legitimate* copies of System 7 *beta*
or *FC* are customers with in-house development activity who have
signed up as developers or beta sites. If they have chosen to treat
this as an advance oportunity for End-User activity, they are still
*supposed* to realise that they are in advance of release.

There is *no* logical reason to expect developers to have releases
compatible with OS which haven't been released. There is every
reason to expect them to make the effort to prepare for the release
but no reason to expect them to anticipate.

Remember, Microsoft has shown their willingness to release an 'a'
release to correct the bugs, maybe CE cannot afford that. 

Microsoft is a poor example historically. They have often had
programs which failed with new releases. One time they *appear*
to be ready and you hold them up as an example to castigate
others.

In the past Microsoft has been "GOOD" because they provided
releases to correct problems with new releases within weeks
instead of months. 

Just because you desire System 7 so badly, lets not change the
rules. A "good" developer will have compatible releases at
release of System 7 or within a few weeks. A "bad" developer
will require months to be compatible.

jim

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