Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 13:31:27 12/04/97
Go up one level in this thread
On December 04, 1997 at 15:57:17, Fernando Villegas wrote: >Dear Thorsten: >Of course the ultimate cause of problems are the users. If nobody do >nothing with a computer, nothing happens. I have never seeen a problem >with the computers in exhibition in a shopping center. The point is how >much chances of doing something wrong an user has with or without W95. >What is more, my point is not just the problems derived from the use of >a program, but problems to install and use a program. There is where DOS >is problematic. >Let me explain what happens to me with CMP7: >A) If I use the Dos windows of w95, I have not enough memory and to get >more I should desinstall a serie of TRS that I need to work, then to >install them again and so and so. Too much problems and tinkering. >B) If a configure an special DOS for this program using the shortcuts >with properties, etc, then I get enough memory, but then MCP7 does not >recognizes my CD rom unit and so I cannot begin anything. I push enter, >screen goes black and then a reboot procedes. >C) If a load the system with an special config.sys and autoexec in a >floppy, the same thing: I cannot recharge. >D) If I try to launch from Windows qith /0, lack of memory again. >E) If I would try to get more memory, I should disable the CD rom device >and so again I could not launch MCP7. >Cath 22, it seems... >Now, as much I can be missing something, If you have an answer, please >lety me know and I happily will recant of my position.... :-) >Fernando this argument is being turned upside down. Programmers are trying to tell end-users how they ought to run their program, rather than listening to end-users to find out how they want to run it. I struggled with this a long while back, but chose to create a winboard version of crafty for those that wanted a windows-compatible program. this "dos boot issue" is a problem for many people. I had a win3.1 system that my kids used for games... I had a config.sys, a config.normal, a config.falcon, a config.doom, a config.this and a config.that. rebooting between applications is a stupid requirement. managing multiple config.sys files is possibly ok, but only possibly. Contrast this with simply clicking start, and then choosing the app you want to run. *and* being able to run this application while running other applications at the same time is part of the utility of the windows environment. Booting in dos mode is simply not a viable answer. However, this doesn't have to be reconciled here. The end-users will take care of this because if they want a windows app, they have genius as one option to buy, crafty is an option for free. Market pressures will either prove this to be what users want, or not. It depends on whether the various programmers want to pay attention to (a) what end users say they want or (b) what the programmers believe the end users want. It is easy to answer. Just watch for sales numbers over the next year or two. If genius (or another windows-compliant program) runs away from the others in sales, that will make the point...
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