just an update

[John Esak]

All I can say about your comments below is that your Help Files are
infinitely better than those supplied with the product. They are better on
all levels... and I never even *understood* about the grouping thing! I
second that FP Tech should obtain them from you and sign you on to maintain
them. As for more work for me... I would rather sleep these days. Some days
I feel like quite an old Ent, other days I'm rarin' to go. I never know
which day will be which. :-)

John


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laura Brody [mailto:laura at hvcomputer.com]
> Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2005 5:31 PM
> To: john at valar.com; Fplist (E-mail)
> Subject: Re: just an update
>
>
> On Sun, 18 Dec 2005 15:38:19 -0500, John Esak <john at valar.com> wrote:
>
> > Yes, and unfortuntely, I lost Laura's Help files when I installed 5.014.
>
> 	Look for a private message with the files attached....
>
> 	Do you still have the Quick Reference Guide?
>
> > And many people don't have LHF
>
> 	I'd like to change that.
>
> > ... but my comment is way beyond all that.
> > Both Laura's and the company's Help files are organized alphabetically.
>
> 	My help files are arranged both ways. In the QRG, pages 30
> and 31 have all of the processing commands sorted by groups (debugging,
> processing flow, user interface, process data, filePro file I/O,
> System file I/O, math functions, trig functions, log functions,
> financial functions, date math functions, printed output, HTML
> and objects). When you are in *cabe, press the HELP (F10) key, then
> the SEARCH key (F9), you get a menu of all of these groupings followed
> by the alphabetical list. Almost every entry of help has a "See also"
> with related environmental variable names, processing commands and
> system arrays which would help even an experienced filePro
> programmer to complete a given task faster and more efficiently.
>
> 	The environmental variables listed in the ddir/dprodir help
> is organized in the exact same way.
>
> 	The only thing that *I* can't understand is why I have
> offered this product to fP Tech and *never* get a response of
> any kind. I could have it in my head to GIVE it to them for a
> $1 a year license fee and they would never know it because
> no one there seems to be the least bit interested in talking to
> me about it. The help files that they have are almost
> worthless. They haven't had a Quick Reference Guide since v4.8
> (over 10 years ago) and no printed manual. The sample files are
> 20 years old and show it. This is a bad situation and fP Tech
> doesn't want to fix it. They could license my help files and
> QRG (throw me a few bucks to update it for new versions), hire
> Howie to create some eye-popping sample files and then hire
> you, John, to create a "movie" to point out the key points
> of interest in the sample code. Heck the "movie" could even
> be sold as an "add-on" rather than included for free. The help
> files and QRG already exist. New sample files/code & a movie
> that could be created almost with a flick of your and Howie's
> talented wrists.
>
> 	Maybe I'm stupid, but I just don't understand .....
> I'm frustrated but done ranting about it for now.
> --
> Laura Brody, Publisher of the filePro Developer's Journal
> +------------- Hudson Valley Computer Associates, Inc ----------+
> | PO Box 859 120 Sixth Street    http://www.hvcomputer.com      |
> | Verplanck, NY 10596-0859       Voice mail: (914) 739-5004     |
> +------ PC repair locally, filePro programming globally --------+