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From: samalone@athena.mit.edu (Stuart A. Malone)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Symantec's 'Think Reference' (Inside Mac HyperText)
Message-ID: <1991Jun20.133512.15001@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 20 Jun 91 13:35:12 GMT
References: <677368834.1@blkcat.FidoNet>
Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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In article <677368834.1@blkcat.FidoNet> Edward Rice writes:

> And, if I may add to your question... since "Think Reference" takes care of
> IM 1-5, is there any indication of where Symantec is headed vis-a-vis
> updates? Freebies, cheapies, high cost -- or NO upgrades??

I called Symantec technical support yesterday and got the following
information:

1) The information in THINK Reference is _not_ customizable.  You can neither
create new entries in the database, nor annotate existing entries.  You can,
however, create "bookmarks" to mark entries you use often.

2) Because the product is "so new" there is no official upgrade policy for the
product yet.  Technical support suggested that customers could look to
Symantec's upgrade policies for THINK C and THINK Pascal for an indication of
what was likely, though he made no promises.  (For THINK C and THINK Pascal,
bug fixes and upgrades for compatibility with new machines and system software
have been distributed free through user groups and bulletin boards.  Major
releases with new features have cost in the neighborhood of 1/3 to 1/4 of
retail price for registered users.)

3) Technical support has absolutely no comment on the future inclusion of
Inside Macintosh VI.  They would not even state Symantec's intentions, let
alone give a date.

========== Objective facts end ========== Subjective opinion begins ==========

Personally, I would guess that the future of THINK Reference will be very
dependent on sales and user comments.  If it sells well, there will be upgrades
and -- eventually -- Inside Macintosh VI.  If it sells poorly, it may be
quietly retired.  (Anyone remember HFS Navigator?)

Although I understand Symantec's reluctance to commit itself to upgrades before
it's even seen how the product sells, I was too disappointed in the answers I
got from technical support to buy the product yet.  The main issue for me was
the lack of customizability.  I use Addison-Wesley's Programmer's Online
Companion, and have customized it extensively to include information about
HyperCard and SuperCard XCMDs and my own library routines.  If THINK Reference
were customizable, not only could I add this information, but I wouldn't worry
so much about their upgrade policy since I would be able to fix mistakes and
add portions of Inside Mac VI myself.  But with a static product, I'm dependent
on Symantec for upgrades, and so far they've not promised any.

I have another couple of small reservations: The brochure I received doesn't
contain any screen shots or concrete descriptions of what the user interface is
like, so it's hard to imagine how the information is organized and what using
the program would be like.  (Can someone who's used the product describe it in
more detail?)  I'm also disturbed by reports on the net that you can't copy the
sample code, you have to retype it!

I am very interested in this product, and would like to see it succeed.  I
think that the MacConnection price of $59 is quite reasonable, and would be
willing to pay the full $99 list price _if_ I had some assurance that this
isn't a dead end.


				--Stuart A. Malone
				samalone@athena.mit.edu