Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!ukc!cam-cl!news
From: jxb@ely.cl.cam.ac.uk (Jeremy Ball)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: Warning: Quark XPress OBNOXIOUS install proc
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.090126.1480@cl.cam.ac.uk>
Date: 12 Jun 91 09:01:26 GMT
References: <287787.28545A15@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG>
Sender: news@cl.cam.ac.uk (The news facility)
Reply-To: jxb@ely.cl.cam.ac.uk (Jeremy Ball)
Lines: 52


My apologies if I duplicate any other comments on this topic -Ive just
come in on the thread.

I too find the Quark installation obnoxious but for different reasons.  Fistly,
it might not be so bad if they didnt then send you a copy free version on
registration without the need to insert master discs.  What is the point in
giving out a costly version protected when you ultimately get an
unprotected version anyway - answer: to make sure that you register.  I
hate that.
Especially when the registration is performed on disc and I dont know
what other
information may be taken from the system (but thats another issue).

Secondly, in reply to a point about `in 10 minutes you can be
running...' (sorry,
I lost the ref).  YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO.  I bought a IIsi in england with the
English version of QExp3.0 .  English pricing is more or less dollar-for-pound
(again, another issue). It cost me about 850 pounds including our sales
tax, say
$1100.  The protection used crashes the IIsi every time whenever the system is
started - you dont get past the insert disc dialog.  I had to wait for my copy
free version to get into the system.  For $1100-ish, I find that disgusting.
Basically, those with the IIsi and possibly other new models  are forced to
register to be able to use the program at all. Again, hardly good customer
relations.  I know thay have to proetect their product, but this is not from
my point of view a good way to do it.  I compare the process with my Word 4
installation, and vastly prefer the latter.

I have to say that I do like the program very much, but would have to think
seriously about buying any other program that might come from the same
stable if
an alternative exists.  My wife and I run a small scale DTP outfit, and we can
afford the turnaround time to get copy free versions of software.  The word 4.0
stable can supply me with goods anytime I can pay for them :-)

On another issue, QExp3.0 seems buggy on our machine.  The IIsi crashes
regularly
when using it.  Is it just our copy or inherent?  Our dealer aint too
knowledgeable (they didnt tell us about the protection problem after all).  Try
importing Word text into a column where the column is smaller than the
margin set
up in the text.  Machine goes bloeey.  It sounds like a silly thing to
do, but we
had a document from another source and didnt know about the margins they had
used.  I would expect an error box, not a hung system.  We learnt to back up
regularly the hard way as some crashes just happen repeatedly without warning.


My tuppence worth.

Jeremy.