Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!goldfarb.ucf-cs@rand-relay From: goldfarb.ucf-cs@rand-relay@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.cpm Subject: Re: mdm711.asm Message-ID: <3681@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sun, 7-Aug-83 01:15:43 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3681 Posted: Sun Aug 7 01:15:43 1983 Date-Received: Tue, 2-Aug-83 11:53:31 EDT Lines: 96 <<>> Keith, I am once again incensed enough about the MODEM7 distributionitis issue to revive the horse we beat to death a few months back. My ire has nothing to do with your correspondence with Russ; it is a reaction to your announcement of the impending release of MDM712 a mere 29 days after MDM711 was released. Since you have accepted the role of coordinator of RCP/M and public-domain software to a certain extent, I once again appeal to you to help cause more control to be exercised over future releases of MODEM7. Here is a little history of the most recent releases along with the intervals between them: MDM712 7/30/83 29 days MDM711 7/01/83 9 days MDM710 6/22/83 26 days MDM709 5/27/83 12 days MDM708 5/15/83 34 days MDM707 4/11/83 7 days MDM706 4/04/83 My original appeal called for a moratorium on new features and a quarterly release schedule with intervening bug fixes in the form of diffs or DDT instructions. I, too, maintain an RCP/M system here which, while not as active or widely-known as yours, still has "customers" who are knowledgeable and who want the lastest version of everything. I don't blame them for that so I try to keep current. But sometimes I will no sooner have one version of MODEM7 on the system than another is released. This gets old rapidly. Not only do I have to procure and upload the basic files such as MDM711.ASM (yes, Keith, the source -- we can cry about not needing it until we're blue in the face, but people still want it), MDM711.COM, etc., but also I must do the same with ALL the overlay files which are changed in a miniscule fashion each time the package is upgraded. There were 21 of these when I last looked. Granted, the new features have been attractive and desirable. But in some cases there has been insufficient time for even a decent alpha test. The bugs are frequetly caught during beta testing which is done by the end users (contrary to the notion of what a beta test should really be). If Berkeley managed bsd Unix like MODEM7 is managed, I'd have to install and debug a new operating sytem here every month or so. (OK, perhaps this is an unfair comparison -- maybe we should look at Rick Conn's excellent management of the ZCPR2 project as a better benchmark.) Let me restate the points I'd like to see addressed by this group: 1) A suitable time frame for major releases. If we could cause releases to be made no more frequently than quarterly it would allow time for sufficient alpha and beta testing. It would also ease the burden on RCP/M sysops. 2) Interim bug fixes and *minor* enhancements through the use of diffs and DDT patches. If the program is well tested and features are well thought out, there shouldn't be too many of these. 3) Generalization of the main program and the configuration modules such that each overlay file does not have to be regenerated for every new release of MODEM7. As I mentioned above, there are now 21 overlays for various hardware configurations. This number will surely grow as time goes on. 4) An end to the discussion about whether the source for MODEM7 should be distributed. I believe it has been shown that users do want it. <<>> Yes, I realize that we're dealing with public domain software that represents the fruits of Irv Hoff's unpaid avocational efforts for which he is seldom thanked. Don't get me wrong, Irv has done a TREMENDOUS job and he deserved to be thanked profusely for his labors. I believe he has finally refined MODEM7 to the point where it is robust enough and sufficiently generalized to make it an important part of every CP/M user's software library. Indeed, with the release of MDM711 I have put my money where my mouth is, junking MODEM216 and finally joining the rest of the world. Also, I am not scorning your efforts on behalf of the CP/M community. Your tireless work is infrequently recognized yet you continue to spend much time to keep the rest of us happy. If it seems you are the target of this flame, I apologize for that. I merely want to see if we can jointly (all of us) get a handle on the release situation and approach future releases with a modicum of restraint and control. I believe this will lighten the load on Irv, yourself, and the rest of the MODEM7 distributors and users. Ben Goldfarb ARPA: goldfarb.ucf-cs@Rand-Relay uucp: {decvax,duke}!ucf-cs!goldfarb P.S. I'd appreciate it if someone could post this on CompuServe where Irv can see it.