Re: Updating user contributions to MCL 3.0

[lynch@ils.nwu.edu (Richard Lynch)]

In article <v02110101ab9d47f048c0@[198.112.73.151]>, hsayed@digitool.com
(Hazem Sayed) wrote:

[a nice long, legal contract, which you've all read]

First of all, for the record, I'll be updating/maintaining Lynch Lib and,
much more importantly, Engber's oodles-of-utils, and it'll get done as
fast as I can do it 'cuz I need it done for myself ASAP.

Also, maybe my feelings are messed up because we've already got a 3.0 seed
from back when it was still APDA, which I think is still legal, and, I
think, we've gotten one from Digitool, but I dunno for sure.  [I got stuck
in the c++ world for a brief time.  <shudder>.]

*BUT*...this just doesn't seem like a great deal to me.  I mean, in
exchange for incalculable man-hours I was going to volunteer anyway and
all the concomitant hair-pulling of a beta release, I get a beta release
that expires right about the time I get the work done?!  I'm kinda
insulted by this offer, to tell the truth.  Turns a noble contribution
into a bad business deal.

I'm sorry to be so negative, but, as I said, this does *NOT* seem like a
good deal.  I'm still going to do it, just because *I* need the code to
continue working for a long time, and even a little lead time is better
than none, but what's really in it for me.  Not a whole lot.  And I think
the benefit to Digitool is worth quite a bit.  Maybe I'm overemphasising
the value of my [and your!] time, but I don't think so.  Maybe I'm
overemphasising the value of all that contributed code, but I don't think
so.  Far too much of it is in continual use in too many places.

I realize that if MCL was free to every contributor, or even every
significant contributor, there wouldn't be any sales, but jeez, at least a
price break for 3.0 final in direct proportion to Digitool's evaluation of
the usefulness of the contribution would be a decent offer.

This move does at least signify *some* innovation from Digitool wrt
pricing, which is much appreciated, but I'm betting that I still won't be
able to afford to buy MCL 3.0 final for myself for home/fun hacking, which
is a shame.  OTOH, maybe Digitool *will* take a lesson from MetroWerks...

Marketing, quality, low price, and high volume is a great business
plan...but one out of four just ain't enough. :-)

MCL is such an excellent product, even the smallest flaw is so maddening.
:-)  I've tried to be gentle in this post, but suspect I've failed. 
Sorry.


PS  Please check your hard drive for any code in
ccl;oodles-of-utils:patches and send them to me.  I asked this once before
and got so little response that it was hardly worth updating the contrib
site.  Please do this now rather than stick it on the queue, so your
improvements can help others.  Thank you.

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-- "TANSTAAFL"  Rich lynch@ils.nwu.edu