🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct27.011756.790@splunge.uucp> royce@splunge.uucp (Royce  
Howland) writes:
|> Either way, the companies whose products we know have trouble (Word
|> Perfect, Insignia, Pencom, ARDI) all have a presence on the net, I
|> imagine, and so should have seen the post and taken action.  By and
|> large, they have; updates are available for most of the products.  NeXT
|> might quite reasonably ask, therefore, why it should make the expense
|> of supporting third party software.  Isn't that the job of the vendors
|> in question?  Spread the flames around a little; share the warmth.  :~)
The post on the Net came just days before they started shipping ADB equipment.
One developer claims he found out about trouble with ADB when NeXT called to
let them know that they were doing a demo and Executor wasn't working with
their demo hardware (and I guess their product didn't get demo'd!)

Anyway, that list above is just of the apps _I_ found. And it reflects the
fact that my NeXT came so well equipped from NeXT that the only software I've
bought for it really is stuff to allow it to per inter-personal with other
stuff from other computers. There could very well be other pieces of software
out there with an ADB jones. And there is certainly a lack of ADB hardware
out there so far.

As for why NeXT should support third party software, it's that third party
software that sells NeXT's. The dead apps discovered so far are not trivial.
They're the kind of apps that allow people to migrate to the NeXT, NeXT speaks
of application critical apps, well these guys are migration critical apps.
Very few people have the luxury of coming into the NeXT in a vacuum. There is
either prior history on the part of the user or still existing
hwardware/software being used by co-workers that these people need to still
interact with.

I know firsthand of what I write here, I've got several Wordperfect 5.1
files backed up that I need to edit, but my Wordperfect is _still_ toast. This
is causing me some trouble with the people I need to edit these files for.

And if Wordperfect is truly reading the Net: "Hey guys, how about some
NeXTMail eh what? Everyone else sent me fixes that way, how about you guys?"

And I have gotten cautious about new purchases. I called on a product today
and asked "Is it ADB compatible?" and got a "What's ADB?" response. Which was
too bad as I'm not going to spend $1000 and then get to sit around waiting for
a fix ala Wordperfect/co-Xist.

So NeXT _still_ hasn't gotten the word out everywhere. And that alone makes
me nervous, I've done so well at picking non-ADB compliant software I almost
hesitate to try again. :)

And let's see, the next issue of NeXTWorld will be out next Spring? No help
there. How about it NeXT? Do you guys want to survey your developers and
supply your users with a list of ADB compliant software (with version #'s
for things like Wordperfect.)

Scotty