filePro News ? Spring 2008

[Fairlight]

On Tue, Jun 03, 2008 at 12:10:47PM -0400, Lauren Kelly, the prominent pundit,
witicized:
> ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - filePro News - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~
> 
> ------------- Looking to the Future with fPXML ---------------
> 
> We know things have been quiet on our end, but that is because
> we have been so busy!
> 
> We keep mentioning fPXML, but we haven't said much about what
> it is.

And you still don't with this.

> XML stands for Extensible Markup Language--which basically means
> it allows you to customize and design the structure of data.
> But more than that, because XML has strict rules about the structures,
> any application with an XML Parser (think of it as a secret decoder ring)
> can share data--across applications and even across operating systems.

Everyone can look up XML in the reference site/book of their choice.
Anyone that doesn't know what it is probably won't be interested -anyway-.

> With fPXML, filePro users will be able to effectively share data
> with any other XML application--Once again proving that
> if you can dream it, filePro can do it!

Yes, but HOW will they be able to share it?  Details, please.

> For more information on fPXML, please contact the sales office at
> sales at fptech.com or 1-800-847-4740

How is that any more information than has been publicly released for ages?
That much was known and public knowledge prior to the last conference.
That didn't change much for the better as of the conference, from what I've
been told.

And why should one have to call sales to find out more about the product?
It doesn't even sound like the product is ready for sale yet--is it?  If
so, why isn't it on the pricing list on the web site?  There's no link
to it on the front page, either.  If it's not ready, why call sales at
all?  The cynical person (that would be me) might be reminded of Bethesda
Softworks releasing Oblivion with so many bugs that I figured they needed
the revenue from the gold volume sales to pay for the second half of
development to finish QA and get the game usable.  Yes, I'm actually
getting that impression in this instance.

Further, if it's a separate product, the statement, "If you can dream it,
filePro can do it!" is really not applicable since this is fPXML, not
filePro itself.  That was pretty misleading, I thought.

I've put out adverts on this list before.  So have lots of people.  It's
not the advert part that I'm having issues with, especially as it was
buried in the middle of an actual advert for a sale.  An advert's fine and
well, no problems.

What I -am- having issues with is a continuance of fP-Tech's longstanding
M.O. of being big on hype and short to non-existant on details and
specifics, and wanting to take anyone that might be interested into the
back room, per se, for private discussions rather than being transparent
to the community.  If there is something of substance to say about the
product, then actually -say- it, and say it to everyone so that everyone
can be confident they're getting the same story.

As it is, the above fluff is patently useless and devoid of any real
information.  I actually have heard more specific information on fPXML
from someone outside the company than you just divulged in something
that's supposed to be an advert--like roughly how it's supposed to work,
at least some months back in development.  That the actual vendor refuses
to be at least that specific and definitely not transparent is absolutely
frustrating to those of us that actually want information, not hype.
Actually, why was this put in a section marked "News" at all?  It's a
rehash of the same scant information that has been put out before.  The
only thing it says is that the product apparently isn't cancelled.

I'm sorry, and I know this sounds harsh.  It's kind of meant to be, really,
because I've had it with people not shooting straight and being open.
I'm very frustrated and fed up with the community being subjected to
the Mushroom Treatment[tm] every time a new product is on the (often
distant) horizon.  Years (including pretty much everything since 4.5 was
released) of this kind of excited mention go by before anything solid
ever materialises, yet there are no published intended release dates,
no information that helps my clients make educated decisions or plan
on courses of action, and the only thing people hear is, "Call sales."
Release the product and actual details and we might think sales is worth
calling.  Cart Before Horse Syndrome, if ever I've seen it.

</semi_rant>

Sorry.  Very, very frustrated.  That's an expression of about 15 years of
frustration that the vendor has done absolutely nothing to alleviate.  I
can't be the only one that's really annoyed with these practises...

mark->