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From: gjs@k.cs.cmu.edu (Gregory Stein)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: TT512 Rebuttal
Message-ID: <1014@k.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Tue, 3-Jun-86 16:39:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: k.1014
Posted: Tue Jun  3 16:39:12 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Jun-86 07:23:25 EDT
Reply-To: gjs@k.cs.cmu.edu (Gregory Stein)
Distribution: net
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
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Keywords:

This discussion (rebuttal) about ThinkTank seemed pretty weak to me.
I used ThinkTank once, but I didn't find it very useful.  It seems
to be a pretty standard thing as Rob says:

>Would someone out there *PLEASE* put me out of my misery and do a real MAC
>implementation of this indispensible tool.  TT does virtually nothing 
>like good mac software should.  (e.g. no scroll bars, screwy text editting,
>evidently does its own memory management, is HUGE for what it does,
>is incompatible with almost anything else such as switcher, etc. etc. etc.)
>
>In defense of Living Videotext, however, the person I talked to there was
>very knowledgeable, helpful, sympathetic, and honest.  She also didnt have
>a workaround other than to keep the outlines small.
>-- 
>Rob Bartel
>...!tektronix!sequent!mentor!robb

And then we hear about Acta and another blow to ThinkTank:

>A new outline processor *DA* called 'Acta' will be out within a month.
>I've had a pre-release (I paid for it :-) for about a month, and have
>built 50+ kbyte outlines with NOT A SINGLE CRASH. 
...skipping 7 lines..
>The only shortcoming is the inability to print an outline without
>saving/clipping into a wordprocessor.
>
>I recommend Acta without reservation.  TT-512 isn't worth the powder to 
>blow it to Poughkeepsie.
>
>                            - Matt
>-------
>UUCP:   {ucbvax,ihnp4,randvax,trwrb!trwspp,ism780}!ucla-cs!matt
>ARPA:   matt@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU

Finally, a "rebuttal" from Living VideoText:

[ from Dave, the President of Living VideoText ]
>
>1) We do not do our own memory management.
>
>2) There is a bug in the Apple ROMs - and we've trapped it - and fixed it.
>Version 1.3 will be available at no charge to registered users using Mac+
>just for the asking.
>

Oh.  That's good -- you fixed it.  What bug?  Does Apple know about it?
If not, mind telling us so we can fix it too?  I'm a Mac programmer
and I'd like to know about this.

>3) Although I am not a Mac programmer, I have had the problem explained to
>me and can provide the background if anyone wants to hear it.
>

Nice way to get out of explanations...

>4) I haven't been able to get a copy of Acta, apparently it is not for sale,
>so I can't comment about that.
>

Matt, could you tell us where and how you got Acta.  Seems Dave can't
get one.

>5) Living Videotext has continued to develop on the Mac, and it's been 17
>months since TT512 shipped.  Do you think we might have a more powerful
>product very close to shipping?
>

How close?  What are its new features?  You might as well say, it would
be good advertising for yourself, and a good defense.

>6) I'm glad you found our support people helpful, they've been under a lot
>of pressure recently, but are holding their own like real troopers.
>

This is good.  Some companies have lousy support.  But, personally, I did
not find anything of value in this.  I would almost be sure no one else
did either.  Your product may be good, I never really used it, but you
should provide a little more information.

	Greg
	gjs@k.cs.cmu.edu

[ Thanks to lloeb@spock for most of this. ]

-- The disclaimer is around here somewhere, REALLY --

(Right here)