Re: Word '97 vs. Frame 5.1.1

["Fragnito, Vic" <Vic -dot- Fragnito -at- ALLIEDSIGNAL -dot- COM>]

A while back, a company called AstonTate did something similar with a
product called DataBase 4.  The product was not downward compatible and
all DataBase 3 programs had to be redone and recompiled.

The company is now BANKRUPT!.

Maybe a message should be sent to the almighty Bill.  He too is
subservient to the market.

Vic Fragnito
Disgust presented is solely my own.
 ----------
From: Matt Ion
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject: Re: Word '97 vs. Frame 5.1.1
Date: Monday, March 31, 1997 12:59PM


On Mon, 31 Mar 1997 13:07:07 -0600, Wing, Michael J wrote:

>>Sounds like Adobe is starting to realize how hard it is to hit a moving
>>target (MS's Word save-format-du-jour).  Kinda like other browsers
>>tryingto keep up with NS's and MS's competing, made-up HTML tags.  Or
>>like IBM trying to keep up with Win32s support in OS/2: make it work,
>>and MS will "update" it within a few days so it doesn't.
>
>And it sounds to me like good old American competition.  My guess is
>that MS does these things to create or maintain an advantage.  Last I
>knew, most companies aim to do this.  If I was the leader and everyone
>was aiming at me, shouldn't I become a moving target?  Can a company be
>blamed for trying to keep it's advantage?  If MS was chasing Adobe, are
>there any indications that Adobe would not create a moving target?

The difference here is, MS also controls the operating system upon
which these other vendors' products depend.  They've already had their
wrists slapped by the DOJ for using hidden, undocumented hooks in
Windows to give their own software advantages over competing vendors.
Indications are that they're still doing it anyway.  This goes beyond
"fair" competition.

>Why should MS release their file format to others?  Aren't the others
>competitors?  Isn't that like asking for the other team's playbook?

And who do they think they're hurting?  Adobe?  Wrong.  As evidenced
right here, it's the end user who is harmed by these kinds of actions
(right, Suzanne?).  The same holds true of the NS/IE battle: they're
destroying the very foundation that their existance was built upon;
namely, a common HTML *standard* that allowed anyone on almost any
platform to access any web page.  The Web as we know it would never
have existed if it wasn't adherence to these standards in the first
place.  Now, in trying to create their own "competitive advantages", MS
and NS are segmenting the whole thing and we'll be back where we
started.




 Your friend and mine,
 Matt
 <insert standard disclaimer here>
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
----
 -

 They say there are strangers, who threaten us
 Our immigrants and infidels
 They say there is strangeness, too dangerous
 In our theaters and bookstore shelves
 Those who know what's best for us
 Must rise and save us from ourselves
                                - Rush, "Witch Hunt"

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at
http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html