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From: danm@tekig5.TEK.COM (Daniel Milliron)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: 4th Dimension comments
Message-ID: <1842@tekig5.TEK.COM>
Date: Thu, 27-Aug-87 12:21:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekig5.1842
Posted: Thu Aug 27 12:21:20 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Aug-87 13:08:21 EDT
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.
Lines: 58
Keywords: 4th Dimension, database


I have been using 4th Dimension from Acius, Inc. for the past couple weeks
and have two comments for the net -- one good, one bad.

1. First the Good:  4th Dimension is THE best database for the Mac.  I have
   seen nearly all the others and 4D beats them in power, reliability, and
   ease of use (compared to the others as a group and not individually).  4D
   is not perfect, however.  I have made a list of ~8 not-terribly-important
   bug-like "features" I have come across.  I have another list of ~6 enhance-
   ments I would appreciate seeing.  BTW, Acius is working on the next version
   and they welcome feedback, so I am sending them my lists.

2. The Bad:  Acius has a policy that I would like to change via pressure from
   the network (if there is such a thing).  I discovered this policy when I
   phoned their tech support line.  Here's what happened:

   I had been having a problem getting some 4D-language procedures I had
   written to work.  Not only were the results not what I expected, but the
   program would crash with "ID=02" illegal-odd-address errors.  The techie
   at Acius told me that I was using a technique that was against the rules:
   changing the current record selection or current record pointer from within
   a layout procedure (it's OK from within a global procedure).  This rule is
   non-intuitive: there is no obvious reason for it.  I asked where that rule
   was, because in my nearly-four-times-thoroughly reading of the manuals I
   had not seen it.  He read it to me verbatim over the phone and said it was
   in the Developers' Notes.  [Explanation: the average purchaser of 4D ($699
   retail) is considered an end user.  For $695 extra, you can become a
   registered developer, entitling you to the Developers' Notes, a run-time
   environment for custom applications (only necessary if you are selling
   4D-based applications), and 50%-off the run-time libraries (object code
   enhancements).]  I told the techie that I was not a "Developer" and so I
   do not have the Notes.  No problem, he said, beecause they are available
   on CompuServe.  I don't subscribe to CompuServe either, so I am S.O.L.

   The bottom line is this:  Acius is selling you a product and not giving
   all the necessary documentation.  In this case I was not told about an
   obscure but very important rule about designing procedures.  Not getting
   all the documentation isn't so bad: it happens all the time with new
   software -- things get left out of the original versions of the manuals.
   What stinks is that Acius wants me to pay $695 or subscribe to an
   information service instead of supporting me with manual updates like
   all the other nice software publishers do.

   Speaking of their support, Acius's technical staff is always busy.  One time
   it took almost a week to get a phone call back.  The staff can be cocky and
   sarcastic, but then, so am I, so who cares.  They should staff the phones
   more, especially as their product sees a larger user population.  They should
   also provide a toll-free number.

All in all, I love 4D and enjoy using it.  I recommend it highly.  But if other
users feel the same way about this policy I described, let's let them know.
Their cockiness may make it harder to get policy changes, since they know they
have the best product on the market and that the competition is way behind.



Dan Milliron
Tektronix, Inc.