Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!decvax!spray!anson From: anson@spray.CalComp.COM (Ed Anson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Apple's APDA: G'bye Amateurs & Fans Message-ID: <2579@spray.CalComp.COM> Date: 10 Feb 89 15:04:44 GMT References: Reply-To: anson@spray.UUCP (Ed Anson) Organization: CalComp, A Lockheed Company, Hudson, NH, USA Lines: 45 In article aa0s+@andrew.cmu.edu (Adel Talaat Assaad) writes: >I just received the first APDAlog from the "NEW & AMENDED" APDA run by >Apple, and boy did I dislike what I saw. They charge membership, and THEN >charge RETAIL for everything. Some prices went up 125% (TechNotes) and >the shipping and handling charge makes it sound like you should have >D. Trump's fortune to deal with them. I'm inclined to agree. The price increases were a most unpleasant surprise. On the other hand, I no longer have to wait weeks and weeks for my order to be filled. I just placed an order with them a few days ago, and it arrived yesterday. >They specifically make you state that you are repesenting yourself as >a "developer of computer software and/or hardware with substantial >experience in computer programming (which I do) and in USING >PROGRAMMER TOOLS AND UTILITIES (which I don't want to be)." Don't worry about representations. My impression is that they just want you to acknowledge that you know what you're getting into when you order one of their products. A similar representation was included in the old APDA application. They don't want people complaining about bugs in beta software. >Incidentally, will the new TechAlliance cover the gap TechAlliance will continue to sell third-party software and hardware, both to professionals and to amateurs. In fact, they have substantially increased their third-party line. Unfortunately, they won't be handling Apple label products any more, which is what the changes are all about. Apple's APDA has some third-party stuff, but the selection is very limited and their prices are not attractive. BTW: If you were a member of the old APDA, you should be receiving your first issue of MacTech Quarterly about now. Mine came a day or two ago. It is a substantially revised and expanded version of the old APDAlog. It includes more articles than catalog, since it is trying to be a general purpose delopers' magazine. The bottom line is this: There is no more one stop shopping for developer information and tools. If it has the Apple logo on it, you have to go to Apple/APDA. Otherwise, TechAlliance is still preferred. I guess this means eventually having to pay TWO $20 annual memberships :-( -- ===================================================================== Ed Anson, Calcomp Display Products Division, Hudson NH 03051 (603) 885-8712, anson@elrond.CalComp.COM