Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvca!scott
From: scott@hpcvca.CV.HP.COM (Scott Linn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: RE Zortech problems
Message-ID: <5640023@hpcvca.CV.HP.COM>
Date: 23 Feb 90 21:29:40 GMT
References: <48cc3c8b.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, Oregon
Lines: 38

/ hpcvca:comp.sys.ibm.pc / nelson_p@apollo.HP.COM (Peter Nelson) /  7:36 am  Feb 22, 1990 /

> I was quite nonplussed by some email I received from Walter Bright 
> on his BBS in Washington State in which he said that my criticism
> of Zortech in a "public" and "insulting" manner was "not appreciated".
> And that I should restrict my "public comments to polite requests
> for help".

> After spending a ton of money on the original compiler and another ton

A "TON" of money??  From what I've seen of the price of the Zortech C++
compiler, you didn't spend near what you imply...

> very well behaved.  Most of my complaints about it from a technical view-
> point are related to features it doesn't support such as a "huge" 
> memory model or 256 colors in 640X480 VGA.   For most people these 
> would be minor or philosophical issues. 

... and that it disables ctrl-c in graphics mode (read the manual)
... and that it has no way of writing text in graphics mode (read the manual)
... and that a program bombed on a machine with a different display driver
    (read the manual)
... etc.

It seems like you had problems, and then immediately called the manufacturer.
Your first mistake is that you should have read the manual.  This in no way
makes up for the fact that the service people were of no help, but hey, I've
had the exact same problems with other compiler/software companies, so Zortech
isn't alone.  Your second mistake is that you didn't just explain your
problem to the net, and ask for opinions or help; you simply flamed away at
Zortech for making such a poor product that does this & that or doesn't do this
or that, and then found out that you hadn't really read the manual.

If all of your problems turned out to be problems with the compiler, then fine,
complain about the compiler.  But, you flew off the handle instead.  I wonder
what kind of libel suit a vendor can take against an individual...

Scott Linn