Re: Bundling of layered software

[dmitchell@backus.trc.amoco.com (Donald H. Mitchell)]

  Date: Thu, 22 Mar 90 09:05 CST
  From: Richard Billington <buff%pravda@gatech.edu>
	[...]
  Symbolics has been a leader in "bundling" tools and extensions to lisp (tools: windows,
  zmacs, debugger, examiners - extensions: loop, flavors, clim) to the point where every
  major addition to what is becoming a part of the accepted "minimum production lisp
  environment" is something that has become a standard part of Genera for at least a
  couple of years already.

I've changed my mind.  Now I agree!  The full richness of the development
environment is THE selling point for Symbolics's products.  Bundling would
keep Symbolics well ahead of the competition.   In the current unbundled
configuration in which Statice and Concordia are each more expensive than
Genera and more expensive than the analogs that I can point to when trying to
convince management that I need them, I've been very reluctant to try to get
them.  In fact, I haven't purchased Statice (although I'd love to) and I've
only now purchased one copy of Concordia.  Even at that, my Symbolics sales
rep tried to ensure that I REALLY needed Concordia and wasn't buying it merely
to extend the development environment.  (A strange strategy :-).

How much do the high-powered CASE tools cost these days?  If
Genera+Statice+Concordia+CLIM was roughly equal and bundled, I think I could sell
it to my management.  As it is, I have to compare Genera at $9500 with Lucid
at $2500, Concordia at $10000 with Interleaf at $1500, and Statice at $10000
(or is it $7500?) with Oracle at (how much), and CLIM with OpenLook and
Motif.  Well, anyway, you get the picture.  I have to have four arguments when
only one would do (Four makes me look like I'm asking for more than my share).