[Techtalk] "I need to use Windows because ..."

[Kathryn Andersen]

On Sat, Aug 10, 2002 at 12:11:01PM -0500, Glenda R. Snodgrass wrote:
[Adobe Frame Maker]
> It was ported to Linux as a beta product in 1999 I believe, with a 
> one-year license, but it was never brought to market and when the clock 
> turned at the end of one year, it quit working.
> 
> I never understood why they didn't release it, because the beta was really 
> rock-solid.  I mean, all the work was done!  I used it for a year to do a 
> club newsletter, fairly complex layout (~25 pp with a couple dozen ads and 
> multiple frames/fonts/formatting, etc.) and never had any problems with 
> it.  I assumed at the time they didn't release it because they couldn't 
> sell it for the price they wanted, but shoot, with all the work done, why 
> not sell it at any price and get some income rather than none?  Of course 
> the Linux-on-the-desktop market is much bigger now than it was then too, 
> so maybe they're sitting on it and might release it later?

Speaking as a software professional, "all the work" is *not* done.
The problem is, that if they release it, they still have to support it,
and if they have to support it, then they have to pay the wages of the
programmer (and/or support person(s)) who have to be available to fix
problems with it.  Which means they have to make enough money on it
to justify that expense.  Whenever you have more than one version of
something, you have to have the resources to support the alternative
version.

Yeah, if it was open-source software, "all the work" would be done,
because with open-source free software, support is an added optional
extra.  Which costs extra.

Kathryn Andersen
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