FW: not good for fptech sales

[Fairlight]

With neither thought nor caution, Tips blurted:
> So...., someone speaks up and steps on a few toes and because a lot of what
> is said is true but not welcomed, then send them to /dev/null...  I hope
> that is not the case here...

Of course it's at least partially the case.  If you weren't aware of this
trend, you haven't been around or been paying attention for several years.

No, someone isn't plonked immediately when we don't like what they say.  I
doubt anyone has plonked him yet in the technical sense, although they may
take what he has to say with a grain of salt at this point.  It's more in
how he said it, just as it was in -how- I conveyed my points in the past
(and sometimes now) that got me into more trouble than -what- I was trying
to convey.

Basically, become a big enough PITA and you're only screwing yourself.

But OTOH, while many like fP "just the way it is", they'll listen if you
can elucidate your viewpoint in a factually accurate manner, project it
without appearing malicious or whiny, and show that you at least have a
fairly good-sized clue.

> I agree a lot with what Tyler has said, and I don't feel comfortable leaving
> here to defend for himself.  A lot more of the list's users share his
> feeling, (I've gotten a lot of personal emails) but not willing to take the
> stage and voice how they really feel, for maybe, they may offend someone...
> what a shame! 

Okay, -you- aren't the target Stanley.  I'll make that real clear up-front.
In fact, -no- one specific person is the target of this:

<rant>

Okay, here's the deal:  I'm sick of hearing, "I get a lot of mails in
private..."  Frankly, it's rubbish.  A lot of people say it, and I know
that they're almost certainly telling the TRUTH when they claim it--because
it's happened to me for years.

What happens is that I can make a point that's valid, but because of my
somewhat controversial and confrontational style (worse in the old days,
and still not perfectly tamed), people don't want to agree with the point
in private.  It must be fear of association with the attitude, despite the
validity of the facts.  Or it may be the fear of holding an unpopular view
and being ostracised.

What it amounts to is an act of cowardice that harms the community, and
potentially the product.  

How?  Because one -shares- that viewpoint, and it could be a meaningful
addition to a growing majority--and it will NEVER be known to TPTB that
it's becoming a majority view if everyone keeps quiet publicly but prattles
on in hushed whispers in back-channel scatter.

My advice:  If you -believe- in your views, and are willing and able to
defend them, then speak them aloud.  If you get flamed, so -what-?
I've been blasted more times than I care to think about, sometimes
rightfully, sometimes not.  It doesn't affect my willingness to stand by my
principles, nor should it affect anyone else's.

It's called getting a backbone.  And you're hearing this from an admitted
pacifist who -hates- confrontation (it's not really good for the anxiety
disorders).

I'm absolutley fed up with hearing, "I got a bunch of private emails
supporting my position."  That is -meaningless- in the long run.  It might
be nice moral support, but it's entirely non-productive.  If someone
doesn't believe in their (and your) viewpoint enough to speak up and
support it -publicly-, then private support means next to nothing--it's lip
service to the idea, not actual support.  That's a hollow vote of support
at best.

> I'm sorry for starting this with my list of 14-15 wish list items where Ken
> quickly let me know that ODBC was working in both read/write mode and a lot

Don't be.  It was a good list, and it addresses a lot of what -I- hear
privately.  I can corroborate more than a few items are desired by several
people, both clients and not.  But if I had a nickel for every private
conversation -not- backed by public committment to the ideals espoused, I
could retire already.  Okay, maybe not retire.  I could probably at least
buy that pricy 5-string bass and amp I want, though.

YOU have nothing to be ashamed of.  Neither does anyone actually
contributing to the public discourse, as long as they're at least
marginally civil.  The people that need a shame check are the ones
whispering in hushed tones and letting others stick out in the wind and
take flack for actually -saying- something about the issues, while they sit
back and do -nothing-, all safe and warm.

At this point in time, which appears to be approaching the closest we've
seen to a watershed moment in discussion of filePro's architecture and
future where critical mass is building to the point where we're not only
talking features but people are -leaving- because they're not there, it's
quickly becoming a case of "put up or shut up" in my opinion.  If you want
change, speak up.  If you want it to stay the same, speak up.  Cite your
reasons.  There are no guarantees that saying anything will effect change.
There's an absolute guarantee that your voice isn't heard if you don't use
it where it counts.  It's like voting, people.

Whispering your private support won't help someone's (or yours, if you
support it) cause a whit.

Sorry.  I really am.  I don't -want- to rant, although it may read like
I do.  I'm just...SO tired of the utter hypocrisy after 13 years that
it's next to impossible not to be frustrated and just blow a fuse hearing
other people -still- encountering it.  I see this SO often, and it's just
so ridiculous.  It's childish of these people, basically, I'm sorry.
Basically, I'm at the point where if someone says they agree privately
but don't speak up publicly, I don't take them seriously unless they have
-damned- good extenuating circumstances that prevent it.  Job security or
not screwing over one's company in some way would be about the only two
legitimate reasons for not speaking up.

</rant>

*deep breath, sigh*

Sorry, but after 13 years, enough was enough.  I'll shut up about that now
and move on to the further technical argument.

> And sorry if you disagree, but when running filepro on Unix/Linux system,
> filepro is definitely a server application dishing screens and reports to my
> 32 users...

No, it's not.  It's an application running -on- a multiuser platform (ie.,
a "server"-class system).  It [fP] is not a "server application" in and of
itself--unless you're talking about fPGI (the GUI, not the CGI...people oft
confuse and interchange the two product names).  fPGI -is- client/server.
The core filePro Plus itself is -not-.

There is a profound and distinct technical difference between an
application running on a server and servicing multiple users, and a server
application that -must- be understood in order to have any meaningful
dialogue on the subject.  If you want to go over it, I'd be happy to
revisit the topic.

The short solution would be to eliminate the terminology overload.  The
word "server" is overloaded for the purposes of having the discussion in
this forum.  Let's address them as "system" and "daemon" if we must, but
keep them distinct.  It is a -crucial- difference.

mark->