CompuServe Messages

"I assume folks who do like the bleeding edge enjoy the process of debugging, risking, being groundbreaking, AND have the money to risk to be there. Otherwise, I guess you get burned once and get out." David: Buying into anything new always involves a degree of risk. But the risk is largely under the control of the manufacturer who can choose when to release the product and/or technology to the market. Microsoft, just for the sake of an example, is taking extra pains to release as bug-free a product as possible with Win95, even to the extent of taking a real pounding from the press and the public. NewTek made buying in early attractive by offering substantial discounts. But NewTek also made a lot of promises as to what the Flyer technology would do *upon release*. They added an early caveat with 3.994 saying it wouldn't do everything they had promised, but 4.0 would. The reality I think is pretty clear: NewTek released the product long before it was ready, probably because they needed the cash. You can take a lot of complaining if you've got the cash in the bank. The gamble for them is that they will be able to whip the Flyer into usable shape before market resentment rises to the point where they are facing a potentially devestating lawsuit(s). (I personally think they're really vulnerable on the drive and card issues and could be successfully attacked, even though they might be invulnerable on some other issues because of the shrinkwrap laws. I suspect as well that internal documents would support a contention that NewTek knew the product wasn't ready for market, but that they needed the cash and sold it anyway. That's a definition of civil, if not criminal, fraud as well as opening a host of deceptive practices allegations.) I think most of us, though, are a long way from attacking NewTek and really just want to see them justify our faith by making the Flyer a great, usable product. At least that's what we're hoping for. In the interim, we're all sharing, trying to work through the hassles – but I don't think anyone expected this many problems, bugs and shortcomings. Jerry