ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) (04/29/89)
[ I've been watching a lot of cartoons lately. Don't tell my boss.... ]
Phew! I finally caught up. The WELL was down for about four days,
during which we got about 300 articles behind in this newsgroup.
Here's a little ditty I picked up on PeopleLink and BIX tonight
which should depress you:
WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere
stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. The
Amiga programmers at WPC are being shunted to other divisions where their
experience in writing for graphical interfaces are in demand.
No reason for this move was given.
-* Sigh! *-
Despite what you may think about the WordPerfect program, WPC's
involvement with the Amiga has helped to "legitimize" the Amiga. Hopefully,
they'll return of their own accord.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Leo L. Schwab -- The Guy in The Cape INET: well!ewhac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
\_ -_ Recumbent Bikes: UUCP: pacbell > !{well,unicom}!ewhac
O----^o The Only Way To Fly. hplabs / (pronounced "AE-wack")
"Work FOR? I don't work FOR anybody! I'm just having fun." -- The Doctorrichard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) (04/30/89)
In article <11450@well.UUCP> ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) writes: > > WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere >stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. The >Amiga programmers at WPC are being shunted to other divisions where their >experience in writing for graphical interfaces are in demand. Maybe so the PC et al could catch up ? -- ``The way to heaven is through weasel lore!'' - Ted Kaldis richard@gryphon.COM decwrl!gryphon!richard gryphon!richard@elroy.jpl.NASA.GOV
alh@hprmokg.HP.COM (Al Harrington) (05/01/89)
> WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere >stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. The >Amiga programmers at WPC are being shunted to other divisions where their >experience in writing for graphical interfaces are in demand. > > No reason for this move was given. I think it's time to sign a few petitions and complain. What a pisser... +-----------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ | -Al Harrington //// | Instant Guru BBS | | ________ //// | (916) 488-9278 | | |__/\__| \\\\ //// | 120 Megs - All Amiga! | | \\\X/// | Over 1000 files online | | alh@hprmo.HP.COM \XXX/ | Baud: 1200/2400 Hours: 24 | | ..{hplabs,hp-sde}!hprmo!alh | PCPursuit: CASAC 1200/2400 | +-----------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ | My comments in no way reflect the views or opinions of Hewlett-Packard | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
ecphssrw@trantor.csun.edu (Stephen Walton) (05/03/89)
In article <13240026@hprmokg.HP.COM>, alh@hprmokg (Al Harrington) writes: >> WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere >>stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. >> >> No reason for this move was given. Actually, several good reasons were given. >I think it's time to sign a few petitions and complain. Only one thing will change WPCorp's collective mind: selling a lot more copies of WP for the Amiga. If you haven't bought it (I have), seems to me that you can't really sign a petition. -- Stephen Walton, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Cal State Univ. Northridge RCKG01M@CALSTATE.BITNET ecphssrw@afws.csun.edu swalton@solar.stanford.edu ...!csun!afws.csun.edu!ecphssrw
chas@gtss.gatech.edu (Charles Cleveland) (05/03/89)
In article <687@solaria.csun.edu> ecphssrw@trantor.csun.edu (Stephen Walton) writes: )In article <13240026@hprmokg.HP.COM>, alh@hprmokg (Al Harrington) writes: )>> WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere )>>stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. ) )Only one thing will change WPCorp's collective mind: selling a lot )more copies of WP for the Amiga. If you haven't bought it (I have), )seems to me that you can't really sign a petition. And if you use or have provided pirated copies, you have made your own contribution to this situation. I'm sure there are many more copies of WP on Amiga 500's than their disappointing sales in that arena can account for. Just bear this experience in mind the next time the temptation strikes. -- "Our vision is to speed up time, eventually eliminating it." -- Alex Schure Charles Cleveland Georgia Tech School of Physics Atlanta, GA 30332-0430 UUCP: ...!gatech!gtss!chas INTERNET: chas@gtss.gatech.edu
jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup) (05/04/89)
In article <687@solaria.csun.edu> ecphssrw@trantor.csun.edu (Stephen Walton) writes: >In article <13240026@hprmokg.HP.COM>, alh@hprmokg (Al Harrington) writes: >>> WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere >>>stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. >>I think it's time to sign a few petitions and complain. > >Only one thing will change WPCorp's collective mind: selling a lot >more copies of WP for the Amiga. If you haven't bought it (I have), >seems to me that you can't really sign a petition. Well, those that have bought it aren't really where new sales come from. One reason WP sales may have dropped is that most people who own Amigas and like WP have already bought it. It doesn't help (them) that they feel they have to sell WP at a lower cost than they sell it for any other market, because of the perception that Amiga owners will not buy a package as expensive as WP. Add to that the number of updates they've had to make, and cost them mucho $, and it doesn't look like a place to make a profit. Unfortunate, but they're looking out for their own best interests. However, this means that those companies that do amiga-specific WP's that take greater advantage of the Amiga's capabilities are more likely to succeed now, and provide the Amiga with a wide selection of well-done WP's. So it's not all bad. -- Randell Jesup, Commodore Engineering {uunet|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!jesup
papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) (05/04/89)
In article <409@gtss.gatech.edu> chas@gtss.UUCP (Charles Cleveland) writes: >And if you use or have provided pirated copies, you have made your own >contribution to this situation. I'm sure there are many more copies >of WP on Amiga 500's than their disappointing sales in that arena can >account for. Sorry to disappoint you, but I hardly think that "poor" sales of WP can be at all atributed to piracy. WP is a product that is practically unusable without a manual. Moreover, WP was totally unusable when run on an Amiga 500. This was one of the main blunders that made WP not sell well in Europe where most machines are Amiga 500s. -- Marco Papa 'Doc' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Diga!" -- Leo Schwab [quoting Rick Unland] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi) (05/04/89)
ecphssrw@trantor.csun.edu (Stephen Walton) writes: > Only one thing will change WPCorp's collective mind: selling a lot > more copies of WP for the Amiga. If you haven't bought it (I have), > seems to me that you can't really sign a petition. Of course, this is the classic catch-22 problem. I had considered purchasing WordPerfect 4.1 under the Student Discount program. I wasn't planning to buy it for the program it is now; I wanted to buy it now so that when 6.0 came out I could upgrade inexpensively. I don't consider the current program by itself worth buying -- The WordPerfect people said it themselves when they said that 4.x and 5.x were not the right programs for the Amiga. In any event, I am not big on buying a program which has no future. Perhaps the reason why sales for WordPerfect 4.1 fell off so sharply was because the program offered no multiple font or graphics support and wasn't sufficiently "Amigatized", while its competition (excellence!, ProWrite) was. --M -- Michael Portuesi * Information Technology Center * Carnegie Mellon University INET: mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu * BITNET: mp1u+@andrew UUCP: ...harvard!andrew.cmu.edu!mp1u+ MAIL: Carnegie Mellon University, P.O. Box 259, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
kudla@pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) (05/04/89)
In article <409@gtss.gatech.edu> chas@gtss.gatech.edu (Charles Cleveland) writes:
)more copies of WP for the Amiga. If you haven't bought it (I have),
)seems to me that you can't really sign a petition.
And if you use or have provided pirated copies, you have made your own
contribution to this situation. I'm sure there are many more copies
of WP on Amiga 500's than their disappointing sales in that arena can
account for.
(Specifically 500's, huh? Gee, thanks.)
As a matter of fact, none of the pirates I know have WordPerfect;
Excellence, proPage, and Scribble are the text manipulators I've seen
floating around. Surprisingly enough, I don't partake of them, 'cause
I use Macintoasters to process text when needed, and more usually
simply use a text editor (dme or mg). But in any case, WordPerfect is
hardly the WP of choice for Amiga users, especially the sort of person
who tends to pirate a lot. Massive documentation you'd have to xerox
or be helpless without, and a not-terribly-Amigatized user interface
make it rather a bad choice for your typical 15-year-old pirate.
--
Robert Jude Kudla <kudla@pawl.rpi.edu> <kudla@acm.rpi.edu> <fw3s@RPITSMTS>
Pi-Rho America \\ /// "Shooting stars never stop,
2346 15th St. \\ /// even when they reach the top."
Troy, NY 12180 /X\ \\\/// keywords: mike oldfield yes u2 r.e.m. new order
(518)271-8624 // \\ \XX/ steely dan f.g.t.h. kate bush .....and even Rushchas@gtss.gatech.edu (Charles Cleveland) (05/04/89)
In response to an article of mine, in article <16999@usc.edu>
papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes:
)
)Sorry to disappoint you, but I hardly think that "poor" sales of WP can
)be at all atributed to piracy. WP is a product that is practically unusable
)without a manual. Moreover, WP was totally unusable when run on an Amiga 500.
)This was one of the main blunders that made WP not sell well in Europe where
)most machines are Amiga 500s.
)
I'm NOT disappointed by any means to hear that "poor" WP sales cannot be
attributed to piracy. I have just seen increasing evidence in our user
group of piracy (especially since the advent of the 500), and it torques me
out. I'll accept what you say.
(However, I think the statement that WP is unusable without a manual is too
strong. There are many WP books out there and the Amiga setup is very
similar to the IBM one for which all those books have been written. Such
a book (possibly even borrowed) and a zerox of the template, especially coupled
with all those helpful menus, make reasonable proficiency accessible
without the official manual.)
But I'm unfamiliar with the problems WP had running on the 500. The WP VP
made a remark about WP 'not running well' on the 500, but I thought perhaps
that should have been 'not selling well'.
Now this is interesting.
Does this mean that WP doesn't run well on my two floppy 1000 either?
I've been fairly happy. What's the particular problem with the 500?
Slow-fast memory? Do most 500 owners only have one drive? I use Facc-II.
Could that be it? Or do most 500 owners only have 500K, and that's not
enough memory?
How about this for a deal: I'll stop guessing and let somebody tell me.
--
"Our vision is to speed up time, eventually eliminating it." -- Alex Schure
Charles Cleveland Georgia Tech School of Physics Atlanta, GA 30332-0430
UUCP: ...!gatech!gtss!chas INTERNET: chas@gtss.gatech.eduferg@pnet01.cts.com (John Ferguson) (05/05/89)
chas@gtss.gatech.edu (Charles Cleveland) writes: >In article <687@solaria.csun.edu> ecphssrw@trantor.csun.edu (Stephen Walton) writes: >)In article <13240026@hprmokg.HP.COM>, alh@hprmokg (Al Harrington) writes: >)>> WordPerfect Corporation employees are posting messages everywhere >)>>stating that WPC is halting all development of WP products on the Amiga. >) >)Only one thing will change WPCorp's collective mind: selling a lot >)more copies of WP for the Amiga. If you haven't bought it (I have), >)seems to me that you can't really sign a petition. > >And if you use or have provided pirated copies, you have made your own >contribution to this situation. I'm sure there are many more copies >of WP on Amiga 500's than their disappointing sales in that arena can >account for. > >Just bear this experience in mind the next time the temptation strikes. >-- >"Our vision is to speed up time, eventually eliminating it." -- Alex Schure > >Charles Cleveland Georgia Tech School of Physics Atlanta, GA 30332-0430 >UUCP: ...!gatech!gtss!chas INTERNET: chas@gtss.gatech.edu I just have to add a few questions to this. I saw someone state that WP was to expensive for the Amiga market, I have to disagree, I have seen it as low as $140 mail order and the average is probably $160-180. They also said they havent sold enough to recoup the costs, I heard they covered there expences 4 days after hitting the market. Sales may be dropping now, but I bet they arent as high as they used to be in the Mac or IBM Market. ____ |_ | erg US Mail: P.O. Box 2104, La Mesa CA, 92044 Voice: (619) 670-3161 Modem: (619) 670-1095 ARPA: crash!pnet01!ferg@nosc.mil INET: ferg@pnet01.cts.com -=[ In Stereo Where Available ]=-