Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ncar!noao!asuvax!fbog!dbk
From: dbk@fbog.UUCP (Dave B. Kinzer @ Price Rd. GEG)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The Guys in The Trenches
Summary: How do I get other forms of support?
Keywords: support
Message-ID: <1665@fbog.UUCP>
Date: 21 Dec 88 22:07:36 GMT
References: <10078@well.UUCP>
Reply-To: dbk@fbog.UUCP (Dave B. Kinzer @ Price Rd. GEG)
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga
Distribution: na
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer Division, Tempe, Az.
Lines: 56

In article <10078@well.UUCP> ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) writes:
>[ Is $720 too much to pay for a music box? ]
Is $500 per year too much to pay for an amateur?
>
[deletions]
>
>	Rule #1:  Don't Kill The Golden Goose.  The people from Commodore-
>Amiga are precisely that: people.  They are not Vulcans; they have emotions.
[deletions]

   Leo goes on making good points about support and rumors are rumors, etc.
He mentions two important forms, "Request for Enhancements", and "Bug Report",
neither of which I have.   These could be very useful forms (if I had anything
to place on them.)

>Leo L. Schwab -- The Guy in The Cape	INET: well!ewhac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU

  The developers (tm) pay a (relatively) big chunk of change to have access
to the Amiga people and information.  They go to workshops and conferences
and other events which keep them up to date on Commodore's current strategys
and problem workarounds.  Some of us mere users (I count myself as one), have
other jobs which, besides the cost, prevent attending such events.  What can
happen is some of these users end up producing something that becomes 
desirable enough to others to market.  Unfortunately, without the knowledge
that would be gained from a the developer interaction, the product is poorly
planned for the future, or bends some of the rules.  (Another problem is
sometimes college students write software and just can't afford the
developer's support price.)  Where is this rambling leading to, you ask?
Trudge on, soldier.  This software ends up reflecting bad on the Amiga.
For my own case, a couple of days ago I was asked if I would like to port
an Atari title to the Amiga (look out, he's goin commercial).  Should I
accept this task I would like to *Do It Right*.  The niche market it would
fit into makes buying even a year's worth of support a probable net loss
(good thing I'm keeping the real job).  But that does not mean that I do not
need good information.  Now on to the real point:
   I would like to have somewhat up to date information.  I am willing to 
buy developers conference notes and the like.  I have only one major problem:
What is available, how much does it cost, and where do I get it?  Can I get
on a mailing list that will tell me when new information is available and
how to order it?  It seems that there are a lot of people who would like
to get this kind of thing, if only it were easily available.
   I guess I am argueing for another level of support.  It is real important
for some developers to have direct superior access to to insure that their
widget is not going to be obsolete by the time it gets to market, and works
with the planned next release.  There is another group that is just 
information starved for things that should be well known.
   The usenet connection has been very valuable.  As an example, the serial
port would be used in the application, and the talk on the net has made me
aware that multiple ports should be planned for.  I thank all who have
participated in the discussion.
   Well, I hope I haven't opened another can of worms here, lord knows my
global kill file has been getting a workout recently. :-) ;-)

|     // You've heard of CATS and DOGS, I'm from GOATS, Dave Kinzer         |
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