Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.applications Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!linus!linus!linus!sdl From: sdl@lyra.mitre.org (Steven D. Litvintchouk) Subject: Re: General Complaints About Amiga Applications In-Reply-To: tcapener@watserv1.waterloo.edu's message of Fri, 28 Jun 1991 16:08:13 GMT Message-ID: Sender: news@linus.mitre.org (News Service) Nntp-Posting-Host: rigel.mitre.org Organization: The Mitre Corporation, Bedford, MA References: <1991Jun28.160813.11224@watserv1.waterloo.edu> Date: 30 Jun 91 13:17:15 Lines: 61 In article <1991Jun28.160813.11224@watserv1.waterloo.edu> tcapener@watserv1.waterloo.edu (CAPENER TD - ENGLISH ) writes: > Finally, I was not pointing out my own situation exclusively. The industry > (Amiga industry) as a whole needs a good dose of standardization (IMHO) and > that was what I was getting at. You wonder why the market doesn't take > the Amiga seriously? Part of it is the ignorance we all say it is, but more > importantly, (IMHO) is that the Amiga market just isn't serious. You're right about that, but the lack of standardized interfaces isn't the main symptom of this. > A lot of > applications programmers are off following their own drummer, convinced that > their own particular view of the world is best, writing programs with > ideosyncratic interfaces and ignoring system conventions like the clipboard. Many, perhaps most, IBM PC software had idiosyncratic interfaces (and no cut/paste across applications) prior to windowing systems like Microsoft Windows. Even now these applications aren't as standardized as those on the Mac. Yet IBM PC's outsell Macs and Amigas by wide margins. The "seriousness" of IBM PC software is due to three things: 1. Availability of IBM PC clones, so that you can buy PC software and shop for computers by price. 2. Attention to the quality that business people want. This includes easy to follow installation instructions, training courses (especially important for secretaries and clerical people who aren't programmers), etc. 3. A dealer network that knows how to cater to the needs of business. This means segregating the kids with the arcade games away from areas where serious discussions about business needs can take place with business executives who are potential customers. It also means dealers that are fluent in business needs: networking, databases, laser printers, film recorders, etc. While some (not all) Amiga dealers are familiar with video technology, they usually aren't familiar with these other things that make up a complete solution. 4. Supporting the Amiga in a PC-dominated (or Mac-dominated) environment. This means networking, software filters that can convert between Microsoft Word/Mac and ProWrite/Amiga, converting among PageMaker and Professional Page, etc. (I've given up hope that we'll ever see Microsoft Word itself ported to the Amiga.) -- Steven Litvintchouk MITRE Corporation Burlington Road Bedford, MA 01730 Fone: (617)271-7753 ARPA: sdl@mitre-bedford.arpa UUCP: ...{att,decvax,genrad,ll-xn,philabs,utzoo}!linus!sdl "Those who will be able to conquer software will be able to conquer the world." -- Tadahiro Sekimoto, president, NEC Corp.