Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!bionet!agate!ucbvax!EGLIN-VAX.ARPA!forde
From: forde@EGLIN-VAX.ARPA ("MAJ ERIC S. FORD")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Complaints - to be or not to be!?
Message-ID: <8809231932.aa14464@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>
Date: 24 Sep 88 00:01:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 26


I've been pondering some of the recent postings here about the criticisms
we tend to heap on Apple Computing for our impressions of their support
to us (or lack thereof) and our assessments of their "poor" research,
development, and marketing approaches.  I've been particularly intrigued
by those who chastise us for being too harsh and not recognizing the
good things that Apple does.  Well, I would like to pose a few questions
to those who feel the need to defend Apple against us.  First, do any of
you think that Keith Rollin was given the task of monitoring and answering
discussions on these nets because Apple wanted one of their employees to
tune in to laudatory comments?  Doesn't it seem more likely that Apple
wants to hear complaints so they can determine just what they need to
correct?  How would you view the necessity to continue the service Keith
provides if all he received were praises for the company?  The praise that
Apple wants, and gets, comes from our continuing purchases of their products
but they can't wait for us to stop buying to determine something might be
wrong.  Hence the need for a way to receive our complaints NOT praises.
It is up to us to help expose misconceptions on their part about 'what
the market wants' and how their 'improvements' are received.  In the area
of telecomputing, we might be the vocal majority but we are still a 
minority in terms of all computer users (some of whom can't yet spell modem).
I would counsel you to keep the complaints coming and hope Apple Computing
can correct even a small percentage.

Eric S. Ford
FORDE@EGLIN-VAX.ARPA