From: ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk (Ian Palmer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Yet more grumbles about Acorn (Was Re: The draw format and Acorn)
Date: 8 Apr 92 09:49:28 GMT
Organization: Department of Computing, Imperial College, University of London, UK.

In article <18Z8zIj013n@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz writes:
>
>   Perhaps you might consider that fact that Acorn have yet to release RO3
>for machines *other* than the A5000.

So?

>                                     Do you seriously expect them to release
>manuals on an OS they are still adjusting and finishing to work on other
>machines? If you do your dreaming.

O.K. lets assume a company bring out a package, say a desktop
publishing package (for sake of argument) and they sell it openly for
one computer. Someone opens their new package and finds that there are
no instructions. They write to the company asking for the instructions
and the company state that they are busilly porting the software for
other computers, and fixing bugs in the package, and will only release
the instruction when all that is completed (even though there will be
absolutly no change to the functionallity of the package). 

With the case of RO3 there isn't even a real case of porting it for
other computers, as I would assume that it was created to work on all
Arcs, not just the A5000. Fixing bugs makes no difference to what
calls the user should make to get 'such and such' to happen.

>                                   Remember Acorn is a *small* business in
>the computing world. It can't afford to do special runs of manuals. Thus
>until the OS is ready for release on other machines they are *not* going to
>release the PRM's.
>

So why do you consider that they would be special runs. What is going
to change, are Acorn going to suddenly change all the SWI names?
Change that *FX162 no longer writes to cmos RAM but instead formats
your hard disc. 

>   It just doesn't make any sense to do otherwise. Indeed from a marketing
>point of view releasing the updated RO3 (lets call it RO3.1) would have best
>impact if released with a new machine. After all a new flagship Arc must be
>coming soon to replace the 540 and why not co-inside it with the release of
>RO3.1 for all Arcs? And probably the PRM's at the same time. It makes for
>maximum marketing effect for your dollar.
>

They already did that with the A5000 remember. 

>
>> Or to put it another way, what's the point in having a wonderful
>> computer (yes there's a bit of praise in there) like the A5000 when
>> you can't use it to it's full potential because you are in the dark as
>> to how to program the damn thing.
>> 
>> Remember you said it, not me......
>
>   No Eric Wolfson sang it actually after Alan Parsons wrote/said it. *I*
>merely like the sentiment. There is a difference. Besides which that is
>merely a fixed quote. The fact that it bears even a contorted relavence to
>the arguement is neither here nor there. Kindly leave my sig file alone.
>

I did not touch your sig file, I mearly read it and noticed it's
sentiment which I though was appropriate. If you don't want anyone to
read your sig file, don't post it around the world.

>    Philip
>

Close your eyes :-) Here it comes...

>--
>Philip R. Banks                                                         @@@@@/|
>Syntax: mail <banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz|banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> @@@@/#|
>                                                                        @@@/##|
>What price the crown of a king on his throne,                           @@/---|
>When you're chained in the dark all alone?  ---A.P.P.                   @/    |

You can open them now :-)

Ian

-- 
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