CompuServe Messages

I spoke to Jim Plant (Editor of VTU) regarding the moral implications of that editorial immediately upon receiving my copy of VTU. In a nutshell, he tells me that originally there were statements that discussed the moral issues you and others obviously feel needed to be addressed and that unfortunately those statements were edited out for the sake of saving space. Whether you buy that explanation or not isn't really the point of the discussion, since the implications of that sort of marketing tactic are relevant whether Jim had mentioned it or not. As a self employed producer of audio/video projects I have had the oppourtunity to work with a broad spectrum of clients, some of which were not as above board as I would have liked. Because of the usual lead time required for advertising placement, it might be acceptable for someone to place an ad prior to the completion of a video, in the electronics, video, & computer industies it's done all the time, it's called "vaporware". However, I would like to express an opinion on the matter. I don't feel that such an ad should be placed without the reasonable expectation of shipping the product by the time the ad breaks. This could be easily accomplished with allowances for normal production delays. Floating a "test baloon" ad just to decide whether or not the product has a demand, or to raise cash for the production of the product isn't what I would call a valid marketing tactic, it's dishonest.