langz@athena.mit.edu (Lang Zerner) (03/28/88)
There has been some evidence of a minor identity crisis in a few recent postings in this group. In an attempt to help alleviate this confusion, I'd like to point out an unfortunate naming conflict of which many Americans are unaware. Commodore Business Machines, the company which brings you the Amiga, is an internationally operating company. As such it has incorporated in a number of nations under the particular business laws of those nations. In the United States, a corporation must have one of the words "Incorporated", "Corporation", or "Limited" (or the abbreviations "Inc.", "Corp.", or "Ltd.") in its name, in order to indicate that the company is a corporation. In the United States, "Incorporated" or "Corporation" are the standard, while "Limited" is considered unusual. In some other nations, the term "Limited" (or its abbreviation) is the standard or only way of indicating that a company name is that of a corporation. Australia is one such nation. As a result, Commodore Business Machines is known in Australia as "Commodore International, Ltd." or "Commodore Business Machines, Ltd.". I don't recall the exact wording of the name, but the important fact is that, like most Australian corporations, the name ends with "Ltd." The source of the confusion: there is an American firm known as "C. Ltd." which manufacturs hardware for the Amiga. C. Ltd. is NOT affiliated with Commodore. C. Ltd. is an independent, third-party manufacturer in the same way that ASDG is and Tecmar used to be. Somewhere along the line, word got to Australia about C. Ltd., and the recipients naturally assumed it was simply a shorthand for "Commodore Limited". A recent thread of articles "debated" the value of the service provided by C. Ltd. (the third-party peripheral manufacturer, NOT Commodore) went something like this (A knows that C. Ltd. is not Commodore, B does not): A: I bought a C. Ltd. hard drive and I can't figure out how to get such and such support function to work with it. C. Ltd. did not know the solution to my problem. They told me it is a system library function and to check the manuals. B: This is outrageous! If they designed the system hardware and software, they should bloody well be able to figure out how to work it with their own hard drive! Sheesh! What has happened: A bought a THIRD-PARTY drive from C. Ltd. A was having some trouble doing some programming involving the hard drive. A called C. Ltd, a hardware manufacturer, for support on a system software problem. C. Ltd. didn't know, but pointed A to the appropriate source. B thought C. Ltd == Commodore, and now thinks Commodore doesn't support its own customers, even though COMMODORE WAS NEVER MENTIONED BY A. Someone later added: C: Why should C. Ltd. be able to do anything about system programming? C was unaware of B's confusion, but I figured the mixup would come to light from this remark. However, a short while later in an unrelated posting: In article <379@wsccs.UUCP> terry@wsccs.UUCP (terry) writes: [referring to the artists whose work was used in the Commodore "I am the Amiga 500" video] >I saw them listed, but if by 'credit' you mean credits, I don't think so. It's >more likely CLtd included only those people they didn't have to pay... Yipes! Listen up, people! C. LTD. IS NOT COMMODORE. C. LTD. IS AN INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURER. I'm posting this message in a (probably futile :-) effort to avert the Shakespearesque misunderstandings that are bound to occur if this naming confusion is not revealed. I hope, in my own little way (can you see the halo forming over my head? :-), my actions will prove beneficial. (P.S. Commodore: given the bad press C. Ltd.'s customer support service has gotten recently, you should probably make it clear that you are not the same company.) Be seeing you... --Lang Zerner langz@athena.mit.edu ihnp4!mit-eddie!athena.mit.edu!langz "To be clever enough to get a great deal of money, one must first be stupid enough to want it." -- G.K. Chesterson