Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!CGEUGE51.BITNET!DEFFER
From: DEFFER@CGEUGE51.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: If the GS meant business...
Message-ID: <8807131148.aa01449@SMOKE.BRL.ARPA>
Date: 13 Jul 88 12:28:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 88


Warning: No one is targeted here but better put your flame shields on to
avoid being splashed.

In reply to Todd South 

Apple's market strategy is simple: they want to reduce costs by supporting
one unique serie of compatible computers, the Mac line. You may ask then, why
did they design the GS ? This computer is and shall stay targeted at
hobbyists, like it's dad, the Apple II. The GS was designed because someone to
whom Apple owed a lot, wanted to give Apple's first fans a beautiful toy. The
GS is almost 2 years old now and if the GS meant business, well take a look at
what follows:

Quoting Keith Rollin 

>That's the intention, Scott. We're working on it as fast as we can. These
>samples should be ready in a couple of months. There are only two of us right
>now working on about 2 dozen program simultaneously. This is in addition to
>giving support to developers by answering their questions.

If the GS meant businees, delays would be given in weeks, not in months.
If the GS meant business, these demos would have been done when the GS started
shipping 2 years ago.

>Tech support for the Apple line should be explained and appologized for. Up
>until a few months ago, Apple virtually didn't have an Apple II tech support
>department.

If the GS meant business, we GS owners wouldn't accept any apologies.
If the GS meant business, Apple II tech support would not have been virtual
vacuum until now, 2 years after starting shipping the GS.

> However, that was not a marketing decision!!! It was sheer bad
>luck. 3 peole left the group around the same time, reducing the number of
>people left to answer all the questions we get to 3.

If the GS meant business, we GS owners wouldn't depend on luck to get support.
If the GS meant business, there would be more than 3 or 6 people answering
questions. How many GS have been sold in total ?
(Apple employs 1'200 people, see last week's Datamation).

>In March of this year,
>4 new people were hired (including yours truly). Since then, we have been able
>to keep up with our e-mail questions, and have started writing new technotes,
>revising all of the old ones, and creating "Living technotes", the demos that
>have been alluded to. So as that guy said in 2010, "Something wonderful is
>going to happen"!!! Hang in there.

If the GS meant business, it wouldn't be wonderful, just plain comittment.

>I hope that is enough to whet your appetite. Now I just hope that we ship this
>thing, now that I've promised it to everyone. BTW, I don't know how the
>distribution is going to be handled on this. The original idea was simply to
>mail it to developers. However, I want it sent to APDA as well. I don't know
>if electronic distribution is going to be done, as there is a LOT of source.
>Up and downloading would reduce this net to tears! (the programs were actually
>shorter, but some people in SW Engineering insisted that we comment the
>suckers...imagine!  :-)

If the GS meant business, Apple would send these notes and demos by first
class air mail to every one who asks for them FOR FREE (they can afford it). I
am a member of APDA but please, do send them on this net, lots of GS owners
aren't. Why can't you for once make a nice move and provide something without
being asked ?

Keith, please don't give excuses for decisions taken by Apple before you
started working there. It makes no sense.

About GS Works, well my opinion is that Apple does not want to develop
software, and definitely doesn't want to increase the size of it's GS
departement because they don't want to spend money on the GS line. If Apple
bought Styleware, ooops i mean if Claris bought Styleware, I believe it's
because they want to get the credit. This tactic could have worked well if
they bought Styleware a couple of months ago before they published that ad
in apple 2 magazines. But after all, do all the GS owners read magazines ?
I don't think so.

What really pisses me off, is that Styleware was a symbol for the GS, they
were committed to it, like AE, MDI, Orange and such companies. Imagine
Apple buying AE.

I only wish someone has developed a GS SuperWorks Claris back to the lockers.

-----
Eric DEFFERARD
BITNET  DEFFER@CGEUGE51
UUCP    mcvax!cernvax!cui!deffer