Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!pa.dec.com!bacchus!mwm From: mwm@pa.dec.com (Mike (My Watch Has Windows) Meyer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: 2.0 ROMs advertised, not released Message-ID: Date: 7 May 91 18:54:57 GMT References: <12928@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <1991May7.115901.18376@sugar.hackercorp.com> <1991May7.173832.1761@visix.com> Sender: news@pa.dec.com (News) Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica Lines: 58 In-Reply-To: brett@visix.com's message of 7 May 91 17:38:32 GMT In article <1991May7.173832.1761@visix.com> brett@visix.com (Brett Bourbin) writes: I hope you are kidding. We, developers working on products for the Amiga line, which includes 2.0 specific version of software, need to have documentation on the new functions in the 2.0 release. So sign up as a developer, and get the preliminary versions. Or wait until the OS is released in final form, and get the final version. I have studied the 2.02 include files to find out some the functions that are new for this release, but people need docs to write well-behaved applications. No, you need docs to write well-behaved applications that take advantage fo the new features. Well-behaved applications that use only 1.3 features will be well-behaved on 2.0. As you've apparently noticed, what's available changed between 2.00 and 2.02. It may well change again. It really doesn't make sense for CBM to print manuals - or even widely distribute technical information - for the OS until the feature set has frozen. I have never purchased a system that did not come with, or have available, full documentation to the programming enviornment (and managing the Technical Services Divison here assigns me the task of purchasing all computer equipment). You still haven't. If you're a developer, then you've got that documentation available. If you're not a developer, then you've got an A3000 that comes with 1.3, for which that documentation is available. It's also got a beta release of 2.0, but that's a beta release. In a company like Commodore, the documentation should be written as much as possible, in parallel to the software release. If this can not be done, for the most part, is a result of poor design plans. The documentation is being written in parallel with the software release. It should be released shortly after the software is released. I should not have to be a developer to get the only programmers docs for 2.0. You think CBM should release docs to the world for all the interim releases? Complete with documentation bugs that will make your programs unreliable? And with no insurance that the people who have them will bother getting the final version (people motivated enough to sign up as developers and get the docs can pretty reliably be trusted to be motivated enough to get the final version). I think you're asking for trouble. You should also make up your mind. Either you're a developer (as you claimed in the first paragraph), or you're not.