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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!uwvax!gumby!bezanson
From: bezanson@gumby.WISC.EDU (Brian Bezanson)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Graphics Magician
Message-ID: <419@gumby.WISC.EDU>
Date: Wed, 15-Oct-86 17:28:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: gumby.419
Posted: Wed Oct 15 17:28:22 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 00:00:14 EDT
References: <254@hao.UUCP>
Organization: Manta Software Corporation
Lines: 78
Keywords: TML Pascal, quality
Summary: Beware of Graphics Magician!

In article <254@hao.UUCP>, bill@hao.UUCP (Bill Roberts) writes:
> Has anyone on the net used "Graphics Magician"?  Can anyone attest to its 
> quality?  Their ad states that the animation sequences (movie?) can be called
> from Lisa Pascal, MDS, MS-Basic (argh!!), and LighSpeed Pascal.  Since TML
> Pascal is supposed to be way compatible with Lisa Pascal, can the "movies" be
> call (directly) from TML Pascal?  If not directly, then I suppose they can be
> called indirectly via a Pascal call to an 68K MDS assembly language routine. 
> 
> Are there any other animation programs out there that can be called from 
> high level languages?  Thanks in advance for any info.

First, a minor correction, MacPascal/not Lightspeed, but since Lightspeed is
from the same authors as MacPascal, all should be fine.  I own both, and their
is no problem going from MacPascal to Lightspeed, but on to your question...

Here is my story, I bought the Graphics Magician back in April after calling
Penguin/Polarware and asking a 'technical person' if it was compatible with
TML pascal, he said 'sure is'.  I bought the package, had a lot of fun
designing pictures/animation routines (I bought it to add some quick/fast
sequences to some programs).  When I ran the MS Basic examples, except for
some pathname problems, they seemed to work okay, but when I tried using
the MacPascal or Assembler routines, it was problem city.  The Pascal 
routines griped about inline routines and the MDS example wanted non-existant
Macros.  As far as Lisa-=>TML pascal, it came with a Lisa .rel type module
and declarations.  Since I never used Lisa Pascal, I didn't know if the
Lisa .rel type file could be transfered (still don't-any help on this).

By this time I was a little frustrated, so I called Polarware and talked to 
the same 'technical' person, I asked him again about TML compatibility, then
he asked me if TML and MacPascal were the same, he thought so.  I was a little
bit angry by this point, so I figured I had wasted $60 and thought I'd try
some more.  I tried using the MacPascal routines from TML (converting the
inlines to open the resource file used by the MacPascal program, etc...)

Still no luck, so I wrote a letter to Peggy Smith, P.R. Director.  On May
6th, 1986 she sent me a letter saying that she was forwarding my letter to
the author, Eagle Berns.  Mr. Berns called soon after and told me to send
my copy of the program to him, a few days later he called back.  He said his
version worked okay, (we were trying the MacPascal & MDS examples).  We had
virtually the same systems (MacPlus, HD20, - I was using MFS MacServe part-
itions, etc...)  When he tried the examples shipped with the program he
found that I was correct, they didn't work.  He told me that he had someone
else write the interface and example files, and that he would talk w/them
ASAP and get the situation fixed (this was in May folks).  Mr. Burns also
told me that he would be sending me a few extra disks of examples that he
had personaly written.  I was in good spirits now, my letter had been answered
very quickly and Mr. Burns's responses were positive, so I awaited for a
working version.  (I forgot to mention another problem, the MacPascal
routine also wanted some animation files that weren't even on the examples
disk!  I substituted other one - worked with the Basic demo).

I waited, and waited.  Finally on June 26 I wrote again requesting my copy
of the program back (or a refund - which was suggested by Ms. Smith).
Nothing happened... I finally was mad enough to call her directly
late in July, I told her my problem and she said that she would send me a new
copy and would talk to Eagle again.  Well I did receive a new copy, but
it was identical to the original - missing files and non-functioning
demos.  I look back and see that I spent $50 for the program and $10 more
on phone calls, plus several hours invested in trying to make the product
work.  I am very disappointed.  I think I'll write again - prompted by
your message here, to see if I can get anything done.  At the very least I
would like to get my money back, and the best, a working copy.  The graphics
magician had a lot of potential when used under a powerful language (TML
or Lightspeed Pascal).  Maybe if Polarware or Mr. Burns reads the next, we may
see some action.  So far, all I have seen from him were 2 calls in early May,
a patch lately on Compuserve for MacPlus compatibility in one of the graphics
editors, and that he has been hired on by Apple.

If anyone else has actually fixed their copy, PLEASE let me know.  Until that
time, I couldn't advise anyone to buy the program.

[Standard Disclaimer: I have no affiliation w/Penguin/Polarware, but am a
DISatisfied user.]


-- 
Brian Bezanson {seismo,ihnp4,allegra,topaz,harvard}!uwvax!gumby!bezanson
Manta Software Corp.				  bezanson@gumby.wisc.edu