From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,c62a5e526aafd9d4 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-09-28 07:15:02 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!psinet-eu-nl!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: The Hobby Lobby was Windows CE? Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 10:07:43 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9p207h$dq3$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9onhgu$9h9$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3BAF77E6.9BDE9102@adaworks.com> <9onvig$f6n$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3bb05ee7.10496763@news.demon.co.uk> <5ee5b646.0109251818.5f6dd078@posting.google.com> <3bb1cfbd.18007503@news.demon.co.uk> <5ee5b646.0109271720.7d303e8b@posting.google.com> <3bb434af.3009367@news.demon.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1001686065 14147 136.170.200.133 (28 Sep 2001 14:07:45 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 28 Sep 2001 14:07:45 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:13466 Date: 2001-09-28T14:07:45+00:00 List-Id: I can understand the reason for not doing so. People sometimes think that a business can do something at little to no cost when, in actuality there *are* costs. For one thing, even though ACT may have a boxed edition of Gnat, making it available at some price to the general consumer means you have to dedicate staff to concentrate on satisfying that market. Someone has to take the orders, ship the products, process the paperwork and in general monitor that operation. Not to mention the inevitability of having to deal with consumer questions & problems. Saying there is "no support" doesn't mean nobody will ever call you with a complaint or problem. Failing to solve their problems will give you a bad name in the industry. How much staff time will there be (fixed and variable) to deal with making a boxed edition available to consumers? Will there be enough sales to cover those costs? Also, if you start serving a different market with a different kind of support, you are potentially altering the image you have with your existing customers. Their perceptions of what to expect from you may change and you might be hurting your existing business as a result. A company that is successful in one market is wise to consider carefully the entry into a different market. You're getting out of your experience base and there are lots of risks. Do you really want to do that if the rewards are negligible? MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "John McCabe" wrote in message news:3bb434af.3009367@news.demon.co.uk... > On 27 Sep 2001 18:20:22 -0700, dewar@gnat.com (Robert Dewar) wrote: > > >Like a broken record, I will say it again, if you think this is a > >viable market, then by all means seize the opportunity. I think you > >can be pretty sure that ACT will > >not try to compete with you in that segment of the marketplace! > > I don't think it is a viable market, at least not as the sole market > for an organisation. My point is that, as far as I am aware, you (ACT) > already have a boxed product that is provided to Supported Customers > (at least that is the impression I got from the nice box, manuals and > CDs that arrived at the last place I worked - feel free to correct me > if I'm mistaken here), so why not also sell it to individuals on a > no-support, fixed price basis? > > Of course it is your choice not to do this, and I can appreciate your > reasons for doing so, but it seems like there is a (admittedly small) > market there that you (or perhaps an offshoot) could target. As far as > a third party creating an organisation *just* to target this market, I > think that would be senseless. > >