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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FREEMAIL_FROM autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,52a0bacbcdd2da17 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-08-19 13:50:02 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!msunews!not-for-mail From: "Chad R. Meiners" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Realtime/embedded project to help with employment. Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 16:48:17 -0400 Organization: Michigan State University Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: arctic.cse.msu.edu X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:41732 Date: 2003-08-19T16:48:17-04:00 List-Id: "Preben Randhol" wrote in message news:slrnbk3gsj.mr.randhol+abuse@kiuk0152.chembio.ntnu.no... > You bought a computer with NT. Then NT gets dumped by M$ (no more > security fixes as the OS cannot be fixed there are too big problems with > it (this is was M$ are saying)) so you must buy 2000 or XP. That is $250 > then you must buy Office for 2000 or XP I don't use Office. I use TeX. I consider my options and choose the most appropriate application. I also buy well made hardware parts before building a computer. If you choose wisely, you can get your features for a good price. > The only problem is that either John Doe has a computer at his office so > he doesn't pay the $750 or he pirated the software. He then complains, > but he doesn't blame M$ the same way he would if he had paid this sum > out of his own pocket. And for some strange reasons people accept that > software should be buggy. Bugs are very hard to eliminate completely. Needless to say there is other software that customers can use... > I once got an error message in Windows 3.11 > which I think came from an application, but I couldn't really tell. It > read: "Error: No Error" which says it all. Then you should have been using OS/2 back then ;-) > I mean would you not go and complain if your scooter (that you payed > $750 for) suddenly died every X miles and you had to start it up again. > Or suddenly the breaks stopped working and you had to manage to stop and > start it again? Most physical machines are easier to design and debug than software. It all boils down to effort and cost to produce a product. Furthermore, businesses models need to be developed that make quality software profitable. > > Yes, I understand, but such is life. Not even GNU software is immune to > > such things :( > > No life isn't such. It is the low quality of the industry and the lack > of complains. Sure there are some bugs in GNU software too, but I have > not have whole days go by just because I couldn't get a program to work > or that suddenly a program decided not to save my document so I had to > print it and write it all over again. Sure, everyone agrees that everything should be of the highest quality, but most are not willing to pay the costs. Until the time comes when we figure out how to cost effectively produce quality software, life will be such. If the issue is so important to you, I recommend that you start up a business that is devoted to producing high quality software. It will improve the world that we live in and is more productive than arguing how others should act. I recomend using Ada to produce the quality software ;-) Remember you do not have to change the entire world; modifying the part that you live in is usually sufficient.