🚀 go-pugleaf

riordanm@supranet.com (Mark Riordan) wrote:

>I have learned a few things about Symantec C++ 7.x for the
>PC platform, and I thought I'd pass them along.  

>I am not a user of Symantec C++, but I'm considering purchasing
>a copy.  I started by ordering Symantec's free demo CD of C++ 7.0.
>(Unfortunately, I've lost track of the phone number you call
>to get it.)  The CD contains not a demo copy of the compiler,
>but rather a multimedia presentation program.  When I started 
>the program on my NT 3.51-based PC, it said it couldn't run
>under NT and exited.  Oddly, when I dug around in some directories
>on the CD, I found that \MOVIES\256TEXT\256TEXT.EXE ran fine.
>It's an animated walkthrough of the compiler's features--pretty good.
>(After upgrading to NT 3.51SP2, I can't run it anymore.  Hmmmm.)

>I read an ad in the 30 Oct 95 PC Week mentioning a $50 rebate 
>offer good through 31 January 1996.  
>The ad said to call (800)628-4777x9F85.  I called on 15 Nov 95,
>and they didn't seem to have any idea of what I was talking about.
>I was referred to Customer Service at (800)441-7234.  I called, and
>they denied that there was any such offer.

>On 20 November, I thought I'd try again.  Perhaps I just got incompetent
>people the first time around, thought I.  I called the (800)628-4777
>number.  This time I got someone who apparently had never heard
>of C++.  After some difficulty, again I was referred to Customer Support 
>at (800)441-7234.  Again I called.  
>They again had never heard of any rebate offer on C++.

>Like a lot of people, I wanted to know about Symantec's plans
>for MFC 4.x.  I called Symantec tech support at (541)465-8470.
>The fellow who answered was the first person at Symantec I had
>encountered who knew night from day.  He said that Microsoft had
>not delivered MFC 4.x to Symantec yet.  He expected that it would
>take 3 weeks for Symantec to ready it for inclusion into C++ 7.x
>once it was received, whenever that happens.  Most likely, 
>MFC 4.x will be offered free of charge to C++ 7.0 owners
>as a patch.

>It seems that Symantec probably has a good product, but I am
>concerned about the level of customer support.  I am not used
>to getting this type of runaround *before* plunking down my money.

>Mark R   riordanm@supranet.com
>Licensee of MS VC++ 2.0, 1.51, 1.1, 1.0, MS C 7.0, 6.0, 5.1,
>MS Quick C 2.0, 1.0, Borland C++ 2.0, Manx Aztec C, 
>Computer Innovations C.

I haven't found the sort of thing you describe significantly different
with the other vendors.  It's difficult to get questions answered
anywhere.

The Symantec compiler is fast, and it generates tight code - that
works for me.