From: James_Hastings-Trew@telepro.UUCP (James Hastings-Trew)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Black Belt vs the FCC
Distribution: world
Date: 28 Sep 92 20:49:40 CST
Organization: TelePro Technologies

In a message dated Mon 28 Sep 92 18:11, Dxb132@psuvm.psu.edu wrote:

 D> ASDG was founded as a hardware company and has developed many boards -
 D> some
 D> of the first memory boards, the first serial board, an ethernet board,
 D> probably many I've forgotten.

Actually, I feel pretty foolish about that. I realized after I posted it
that OF COURSE ASDG sells hardware - many of our beta testers had ASDG Dual
Serial cards, and as I recall we had to do something to get our software to
work properly with that board. Oh well.

>own both programs, and I never use ADPro. This is not based on some silly
>notion that I dislike you or your company, or that my mind is closed. It
is
>based on the fact that your product does not perform to my specifications,
>and theirs does. Simple.

 D> Hmm, I don't know you but it sounds like you have a personal
 D> relationship
 D> with the guys at Black Belt. If that's the case it's no wonder that
 D> Imagemaster performs to _your_ specifications, since you are helping
 D> to
 D> spec it.

I don't have a personal relationship with Black Belt. I have a business
relationship - as in they are a vendor, and I am their customer. I have
made many suggestions to them about their software, and they have listened
to a great many of them. I still have to buy my updates, just like
everybody else. I am in a sense helping to spec it in that I make
suggestions which are listened to and considered. However, that process
began because I immediately saw the many advantages that Imagemaster had
over ADPro the second I saw the software. If ADPro had caught me the same
way, then chances are I would be championing it and sending suggestions to
ASDG all the time.

It is funny. I was considering purchasing a HAM-E, and I had heard that
they had free software updates on their bulletin board. I downloaded some
of the software to see if it looked like it was worth working with. No
point buying a HAM-E unless the software is any good, right? When I saw
Image Professional (the HAM-E version of Imagemaster) I was angry. I was
really mad. I said "Why didn't I hear about this program? How come I have
to stumble across the best image manipulation program available on the
Amiga?" I was using the software more and more, and I decided that if I was
going to continue to use their software, I had better buy it. So I did. I
started making suggestions, and they started listening to me.

It has been a good relationship, at least from my point of view. Now they
are a customer of mine, so business works both ways!

And I will say this again - I have nothing personal against ADPro, ASDG, or
even Perry K. They make some great products, and some great software. But
really, Imagemaster and ADPro hardly even compare as similar products.
ADPro works well for what it is, and it is powerful, easy to use software.
It just isn't what I want or need.

I don't think people know enough about Imagemaster. I think it is a
fantastic product, and so I advocate it to people who might need to know
about it. Black Belt does not do a lot of advertising (why, I don't know -
but that's their business) so I think it is up to people like me who are
satisfied customers to get the word out.

Believe me, when something better comes along, I will buy it, and champion
that product too. When something works great for me, I want everyone to
know about it. Who knows? Maybe it will be an ASDG product. Or maybe GVP? 

-- Via DLG Pro v0.992

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Telepro!james_hastings-trew@access.usask.ca
"[Democratic philosphy consists of] the idea of running your paycheck
through the salad shooter and dumping the shreds on the compost heap of
good intentions." -P.J. O'Rourke in Bill Clinton, The Rolling Stone
Interview
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