Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!van-bc!root
From: lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Pet Peves or Why,  oh why do they do this? (long)
Message-ID: <2465@van-bc.UUCP>
Date: 10 Jun 89 16:51:17 GMT
Sender: usenet@van-bc.UUCP
Lines: 51

In <17264@louie.udel.EDU>, C506634@umcvmb.missouri.edu (Eric Edwards) writes:
>In response to my questioning of the value of DME's "roll your own" menus to a
>new user Larry Phillips  said:

>>It seems to me that DME is one person's idea of an ideal editor.  That person
>>has kindly donated it to the world.  If it's good for you, fine..  if not,
>>well, there are other editors available.  It is not a novice's editor.
>>Complain all you want about commercial software, but try to remember that PD or
>>freely redistributable software is often something that the author found
>>useful, and is under no obligation to be anything more than that.

>That's a nice speach about what you are 'paying for' in PD but it's beside the
>point.  The cost of an object is not related to it's functionality.  If Matt
>were to pay me to use DME it would not make it easier to use.  And I should
>add I am not a novice.  I personally use DME on an occasional basis.  It is one
>of many editors I keep arround for jobs that my usual editor (Jed) can't do.
>It's fast.  Has lots of advanced features and uses memory well.  But I have to
>have the manual beside me at all times whereas I do 95% of my editing with Jed
>and have scarcely looked at it's manual at all.

No, it is not beside the point at all. I can understand why you might think it
is, since you missed the point I was making altogether.

I did not state that the cost of an object is related to its functionality. Read
what I said about the reason the program is there in the first place. It was
written by someone for their own use, to suit their own needs, to suit their
style. It is blatantly obvious that Matt would not have written DME as it is if
he wanted it to be something else. He has released it for other folks to use,
and the other folks that are likely to use it will be those that also find it
suitable for their needs and style. If you are not one of these, fine. Matt is
under no obligation to make any changes that you like, possibly to the
detriment of his own use of the program.

I'm glad that you have found an editor that you like. I am not familiar with
it, but it is altogether likely that Matt would not like it as much as DME, or
he would have written DME that way.

As for commercial software, it is in the best interests of the vendor to
provide what the public wants, since their function in life is to extract as
many dollars from the public as they can. The public's function is to get the
most benefit in trade for those extracted dollars.

-larry

--
Van Roy's Law:  An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.
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|   //   Larry Phillips                                                |
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|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322                                        |
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