Re: Price Gouging

[tomd@dfhake.pls.com (Tom Donaldson)]

> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 1994 11:02:16 -0800
> Message-Id: <199402221902.LAA29673@holonet.net>
> To: info-mcl@cambridge.apple.com
> From: rparker@holonet.net (Rich Parker)
> Subject: Price Gouging

> Many small developers (like me) use MCL for prototyping applications. I
> certainly couldn't afford five times (or even two times) the cost of the
> product, even as good as it is. I'd switch to Prograph CPX, Smalltalk
> Agents, or even (shudder) C++ as the means to develop prototypes, many of
> which result in acceptance of the Macintosh as a viable platform for the
> target application and which generate large numbers of _HARDWARE SALES_.

And if QKS succeeds in making SmalltalkAgents portable, you would not be 
married to Apple hardware.  Not only is QKS trying to provide a portable 
language (as is the Dylan group), but they are also trying to provide a 
portable GUI, development environment, FFI, etc., (UNLIKE the Dylan group).

Maybe Apple is just trying to let us all down easily as they discontinue
manufacturing of hardware!!!   Maybe they want us to seek solutions 
elsewhere!  Think about it ... if they were serious about OODL's, would
they kill MCL?  Especially when the Dylan language spec is NOT EVEN
complete (and how long after that until an implementation, and how long
after that for a portable GUI, and how long until a portable FFI?).

Guess I'll hang on to my Mac IIci at home until it dies or my daughter
starts college, but keep using Unix machines for serious work.  Maybe my 
next home machine will be a small Sun -- prices are looking better all the 
time.

I keep reading that times are tough for Apple.  Maybe it is worse than
they are letting on ...

-tomd