CompuServe Messages

I sympathize with your desire as you've probably noted, I've been trying to get Adesk to just tell us for what platforms (if any) are they currently developing 3DS. However, I know that whatever they tell me could change in a heart beat and if I took their 'maybe the DEC Alpha' (No, they haven't even hinted at this) as meaning that it was only a matter of time I could very easily be left holding the bag when they change their minds. Making product development promises occurs in every industry not just software so I do not make any distinction for how I construe any other products' announcements. If I believed Cadillac was going to keep their promise on including rear passenger air bags and they renegged at the last minute, all they gotta do is refund my down payment and the matter is settled without recourse. If you paid money on R4 based on its preliminary feature list you are entitled to your money back but that's it. If I had a limo business for which I had started a new ad campaign claiming that I would soon have the safest cars of any fleet based on what I believed to be true from Cadillac's pre-release annoncement I would be left groundless for some kind of claim against them for changing the features at the last minute. Its their prerogative to sell whatever they want. The same is true for software. In my opinion the consumer is taking all of the risk in believing a products pre-release information. Alluding to this feature exclusion as some kind of fraud is extreme. I'm not liking it but I didn't bank on the list of features remaining in tact through actual product release. Mfgrs change their minds all the time and the fact that some let you in on what they are trying to do with their new products is a privilege not a promise, an opportunity to gain insight not a binding contract. Sorry about the automotive analogy but they seem to big here on the forum. <G> Bob