ignac@electro.UUCP (Ignac Kolenko) (08/02/89)
i'm posting a transcript of a email message that was sent to me today to possibly clear up any misgivings that people have about QuickST and the multitude of versions that are floating around out there. the text is as follows: From watcgl!watnext.waterloo.edu!jmberkley Mon Jul 31 20:56:00 1989 To: ignac@electro.uucp (Ignac Kolenko) Subject: Re: quick-st > as stated a few times, the address for registering for Quick ST is > listed in the documentation that comes with all version of QuickST, > including version 1.46. Registered owners will receive version 1.5, which > is faster and has less bugs than 1.46! Sounds like these QuickST people are intentionally leaving bugs in their software so that people will pay them money. I wonder what the network would have to say about that kind of commercialism. My response to jmberkley: sorry. quickst 1.46 is not intentionally put out full of bugs. what was left out was the extremely fast character plotting for 640 by 480 (ie: normal) screen resolutions, which will speed the text output from the 500% or so for 1.46 to the 900% or so for the registered owner version. both versions have the bugs that have been reported on the net. its just that we can't constantly release a new version everytime a bug is fixed. we try to update the pd versions at least every 2 weeks (at least on Compuserve, GEnie and BIX, the net is pretty slow for the dissemination of software), so the bugs fixed over that time will be gone in the next pd release. but for registered owners, the bugs can be fixed instantly, and the lastest versions can be mailed, emailed, etc out to the registered owner because THAT is what they are paying for. this isn't a form of commercialism that you seem to be suggesting. its pretty strange that net people seem to want free of charge, bugless software, whereas the registered owners we have gotten from subscription services like Compuserve and GEnie and BIX seem to think that what we are doing is great. no complaints. and no suggestions of rip-off style comercialisms like you are saying. and i think that you will agreee that if you pay $30 for the package, you will want something extra that the normal pd version doesn't have. did you complain that the pd demo of Calamus or ST Talk professional didn't work as well as the original. if so, we probably will not be able to help you or anyone else who thinks in this mode. * stuff deleted * end of response. here's what people have been saying on other services: (2 quotes from BIX): from the atari.st.questions section on BIX... ========================== atari.st/questions #2497, from snies, 607 chars, Sun Jul 30 09:44:37 1989 This is a comment to message 2495. There is/are comment(s) on this message. There are additional comments to message 2495. -------------------------- Even though Ive been hearing good thinks about Quick ST, I havent downloaded it since I didnt think there would be much speedup with just new software. BOY WAS I WRONG!! On a whim I downloaded it last night. It _really_ speeds up the screen drawing, to the point the opening window startled me since I was expecting the old performance! The reason Im posting this is for other like myself who may be a bit skeptical at first. As the old saying goes: Try it, you'll _like it_!!. In my mind it's well worth the $30 shareware fee. In fact, it may be a better buy than buying a hardware accelerator board. ========================== atari.st/questions #2501, from jtrautschold, 473 chars, Sun Jul 30 17:41:01 1989 This is a comment to message 2497. -------------------------- Let me add my two cent's worth in there as well. I finally did officially register with Darek for the Quick line of software and it's all more than worth the $30. Not only that, but Darek quickly gets the docs and your official numbered disk to you. this package is worth much more than the $30 being asked. Go for it! Darek and company are also very responsive to bugs and have managed to get rid of all of the ones I found at least! TINAR.... >>>>>> John <<<<<< comments like these really do get you to try to get the best product out as is humanly possible. just hopefully this wont offend net readers as being "too much like bragging" or anything else offensive. :-) :-) :-) additional comments: when people bought the ST, they got TOS 1.0, an operating system with lots of bugs (hence the multitude of patches needed), but no-one complained to atari that they were putting out a machine that was full of bugs so that atari could get extra money for later, fixed up versions. the same goes for us. we are trying hard to put out something that all users can benefit from, with those who register with us getting the added plums which they deserve for supporting shareware. the great thing about shareware is that if you don't like the software, then don't use it and don't send the donation. at least this way you can see if the program is worth the asking price. how did users feel after buying the first version of Turbo ST. didn't hear too may people scream "commercialism" there! as it stands, quickst 1.46 is less buggy and MORE compatible with all the systems (and software patches) out in the atari world than the first few versions of Turbo ST, and yet we get complaints of commercialism. Please bear with us when it comes to distributing the pd versions. we try to get them out fast, but as it stands, it doesn't make sense to put out version 1.46.5, then tonight put out 1.46.6 when a slight bug is fixed, then 1.46.7 at 3am when another bug is nuked, etc!!! the reputation Darek has built up over the years while working on the 8 bit emulator (ST Xformer) can be damaged beyond repair with misguided remarks such as these. and i don't want that. if what we are doing appears as crass commercialism, then the net is not the place to disseminate a system such as Quick ST. but i don't feel that the majority of ST users on the net agree with the charges against Darek and myself (i hope :-) ), and so we will try to continue the service. (be thankful darek is not writing this [he responds on all the on-line services] as he is usually less tolerant with detractors) :-) :-) lets keep the bug reports rolling. the more bugs discovered and zapped, the better it will be for all atarians. lets give you people the machine you deserved right from the start. and as i have tried to make plain, we feel that this is a fantastic product, something everyone should have, and it does nothing but discourage us when complaints such as this surface. well, i guess that thats enough spouting for tonight. stay tuned for further developements on "As the QuickST World Turns". long live shareware -- =====Ignac A. Kolenko (The Ig) watmath!watcgl!electro!ignac===== co-author of QuickST, and the entire line of Quick Shareware!!!! "I don't care if I don't win, 'cause I don't care if I fail" from 'Youth Of Today' by SUBURBAN DISTORTION