I *** L I K E *** ST-Fax.
>From all the mail traffic, it looks as though there could be some small,
subtle well-hidden and (unfortunately) serious problem somewhere in the
source code. I admit to not using it at the moment other than just
tinkering. From time, I need to receive and store faxes every day for a week
or so, but this hasn't occurred since ver.3.8 came out, so I have not yet
exposed the program to the kind of testing that seems to have caused so much
grief to others.
If it has a problem, then we need it to be fixed and this is obviously
important to all Amiga users. Including all the users who stay quiet and
wait patiently for the next bug-fix.
Technically, I don't doubt that the authors of angry e-mail are right to be
angry and right to express it to the software publisher when the program they
have purchased and wish to rely on (or NEED to rely on in their business)
seems not to work. When the problem with a program is that it doesn't, erm,
work, then it is not unreasonable to complain.
In practice, though, the position is different, I suggest. The Amiga market
for software is not large. Active Technologies is not Microsoft, it is not a
big corporation benefitting from a captive market, earning a fortune (?)
whilst treating its customers derisively. It is a small company, taking
financial risks by supporting the Amiga market for OUR benefit as well as its
own. When a pee cee publisher throws in the towel, its is a pity, but not a
problem for windoze users, there being plenty to take its place. It is not
so with Amiga publishers. In short, Active Tech and, to an unusually large
extent, its customers, both have something to gain from the success of
Active's products.
With any other product, there is a contract between seller and buyer, in which
it falls very much to the seller to ensure that its products work.
With high quality Amiga software, taking the above into account, I see it more
as an unwritten partnership between (in this case) Active Tech and its users.
In present circumstances, I think that we just _have_ to accept that we need
to help solve the problems and to try to be, maybe, a little more
constructive. I do not mean by this to belittle the obvious exasperation
felt by ST-Fax Pro users who can't get it to work. My wife goes away sortly
on a 2-week business trip and if incoming or outgoing faxes misfire whilst
she is away, I too will become exceedingly cheesed off.
>> Anyway, it is on ice atm. I'm very demotivated regarding the Amiga
>> market now.
Chris, please do not be "demotivated". I do not know how many Amiga users
there are but this "platform" is remarkable technology, that has shown itself
to be astonishingly durable in circumstances that no other product I can
think of, of any kind, let alone the most volatile 'high-tech' sector could
have survived. I spent �55 with Weird Science last week. I am lobbying
HiSoft to hurry up with IBrowse 2. If I thought there was any prospect of a
Voyager new version, I'd be nagging you, too. I'll pay for it, as well. I
am waiting eagerly for Dos3.5. Which I'll buy. I use WordWorth, SuperBase,
NetConnect2, Voyager, ST-Fax (a bit), ScalOS, and other stuff, continually.
I buy stuff like Quake, Myst, PFS2. I still use 2,3 or 4-year old Amiga
leisure software. My favourite (by far) is Vulcan's JetPilot -- a truly
outstanding simulation. I have been trying recently to track down its author
to see if he could be persuaded to release some more improvements to the
program (which I will gladly pay for). I don't know how many people agree
with me but I think. from the Amiga's survival against all odds, that there
must be loads. So, please, **stay motivated mate**.
Turning again to the probs with ST-Fax.
What can we do to help? Chris, a few weeks ago, you were doing some testing,
and you asked people to help with messages, faxes, etc.. Could you not send
out a circular, asking users to reply with tech data about their systems,
what extras they have by way of hardware and system tweaks, etc., and what
results they get from ST-Fax when running a series of standard tests, devised
by you?
Perhaps you could ask us to send faxes to each other and report the results to
you (with tech data on our systems.
I feel sure that if you could take charge of this apparent problem, instead of
running to try to keep up and just reacting to all the flak, you could find
what -- if _anything_ -- is wrong. What tests can we all run? What
information can we send you? How can we help?
I want ST-Fax to work. I want to keep using the Amiga. I don't want Active
Tech to pack it all in. I am happy to help in any way I can. I intend to
keep buying top quality Amiga software from whoever continues to produce it.
I really, really, dislike using windoze.
When will Voyager be upgraded?
Are you still banging away at Pace to try to find out what's wrong with the
communication between ST-Fax and the Pace Solo 56, to cause all the
interference?
John Wasilewski
Civil engineer
Oxford and London
--
STFax Mailing List - http://www.active-net.co.uk/products/stfax
ML-Help: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "HELP" or "LONGINDEX"
ML-Unsubscribe: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "DEL" in mail body
