ACAD/AEC
Dave:
.
.I viewed the ARRIS package on a 386 pc. Nothing special about it. The
Xenix is SCO Xenix and costs $695 retail. I understand what you are saying
about product support. If it weren't for this forum, the capabilities of
the local ACAD dealers would have left me floundering on MANY occasions.
Dealers, from my point of view in MY location, are just a necessary evil.
The development of ACAD beyond its current capability will be spread among
all of its users. I am trying to get ADESK to place more importance on AEC
because that is the package that will sell ACAD to Architects, not ACAD
itself. ACAD by itself is nearly useless to Architects when compared to
the competition that focuses on Architects. The most recent figures that I
have seen state that 22% of the Architectural and Engineering firms in
this country use CAD. Of those firms, from my own experience, only 1/2
of them use 50% of ACAD/AEC's ability. Now I would say, on a conservative
basis, that the balance of the firms not yet on CAD represents at least
$90,000,000 retail for the software package only. In addition, if the rest
of the firms already on CAD understood its full capability, and more
importantly, could implement it, the aftermarket to those firms would
represent another $10,000,000. I seriously doubt that anyone is not going
to take $100,000,000 in potential sales lighlty. ARRIS definitely does not.
.
.My point of view, from the information that I have heard, is that AEC was
a third party package picked up by ADESK. Its development has not, in any
way, shape or form, made the advances that ACAD has. I have therefore
referred to it as their stepchild. I would presume that MEC is next.
.
.I also understand that ACAD is limited by DOS. That does not mean,
however, that I should become a DBASE II programmer, a Lotus programmer, a
LISP programmer, a C programmer, and a BASIC programmer to get it to do what
it can do. Few, if any, Architects and Engineers, want to become computer
experts. They just want to design and draw. Some of them have learned more
because they had no choice or had the interest, as I did, as a hobby.
Others can buy 3rd party software, which is less supported than the
alternative CAD programs.
.
.Craig.
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