🚀 go-pugleaf

< Krasny Oktyabr:  the hunt is on, March 2, 1990 >

In article <1377@crash.cts.com>, elund@pro-graphics.cts.com (Eric Lund) writes:
> I've heard from "gamma" testers that Turbo C 3.0 will be released and will
> have AT&T C++ 2.0 compatibility.  The question is WHEN?  I can't seem to get
> an answer out of them.  Anybody know any release dates?  Anybody care?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!  (This isn't just Eric's fault, though he's
one of the more blatant offenders.)

Look, when products are under development, even when they're sent out
to beta testers, there are two reasons the companies involved want to
keep things quiet.  First, the software is (by definition) not ready
for prime time.  There will probably be known bugs, or missing
features.  There's still enough for beta testers to try to do real
work, and find additional problems that testers in a lab might miss.
Would you be panicked if you heard that Foobar C++ beta version 1.99
had a bug in pure virtual destructors?*  You shouldn't; there's no
reason to believe the fault won't be fixed when the vendor ships the
final product.  Second, if two companies are competing, it's to each
company's advantage not to know what the other is up to for as long as
possible.  That way, the competitor won't be able to react as quickly,
and the window of opportunity stays open longer for the first company.

(*As discussed in comp.lang.c++, pure virtual destructors don't work,
and shouldn't.  They're functions that subclasses will call, but by
definition can't be called.  As Ohio University's President Ping once
said, "This must and cannot be."  See comp.lang.c++ for details.)

As a result, every beta test I've heard of has required the beta
testers to sign a non-disclosure agreement.  This is a legal document;
someone who leaks information could find his or her butt dragged into
court.

Also, all the times I've been a beta tester, I've never been told the
release date any earlier than anyone else.  I was sometimes given
deadlines to report problems by, but I never even knew which beta
release was the final one.

If you really want to know about the next release of Turbo C or the
first release of Turbo C++, ask Borland.  They probably won't tell you.
That's their privilege, right?

> Eric, elund@pro-graphics, ...crash!pro-graphics!elund,
> pro-graphics!elund@nosc.mil, elund@pro-graphics.cts.com

Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories
att!pegasus!psrc, psrc@pegasus.att.com, AT&T Mail !psrchisholm
I've beta-tested products, both from AT&T and other vendors; but
I'm not speaking for the company, I'm just speaking my mind.