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Need your advice please

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    Need your advice please


    When you're creating applications with Alpha Five, you might have encountered the 'what's Alpha?' question from clients and other developers. We've decided to step up a public relations campaign to make Alpha's database tools more familiar in the developer community, and we'd like to ask for your advice.

    We're trying to identify a dozen or so 'A List' publications (print and online) that developers read most carefully for discussions of new software tools and technologies. Based on what you tell us, we'll focus our attention on getting visibility where it counts--which might not be in the obvious places.

    We have a pretty good idea about many of the names that should be on this 'A List,' of course. But your feedback will help us fill in the gaps and make sure we know who the real thought-leaders are for application developers like yourself.

    To help out, please list the top 3-5 publications, blogs, and forums that you personally feel have the most useful discussions of software tools for developers:

    ___________________
    ___________________
    ____________________
    ____________________
    _____________________
    _____________________

    Many thanks.

    We'll try to use this information to convince your clients and users that Alpha is the right choice for application development.

    Sincerely,

    Richard Rabins

    Richard Rabins
    Co Chairman
    Alpha Software

    #2
    RE: Need your advice please

    Richard,

    Let me approach what you are trying to do from a slightly different angle.

    Have you thought about getting Alpha Five on the shelf at Office Depot, Office Max, both the Naval Exchange (NEX) and Army Air Force Exchange (AAFEX) systems and other such stores?

    Dave
    Dave Jampole
    www.customalpha.com

    Women and cats will do whatever they want. The sooner men and dogs realize that, the happier they will be.

    Comment


      #3
      RE: Need your advice please

      The $99 single user version, and at Staples and such, too.

      With a coupon for a little bit off on the "real" programs.

      Comment


        #4
        RE: Need your advice please

        I read the following in no particular order.
        PC Mag
        Infoworld
        E Week

        I don't know if other "developers" read them, but then I am not really what you would consider a developer. I think that more awareness among upper and middle managers can be enhanced with Infoworld/E Week type mags. If these people have more awareness it will filter down or be more likely to be funded when someone lower in the food chain suggests using it.
        Another thought I had had on many occasions is that there aren't really any "enterprise" level apps out there developed in Alpha. Perhaps if something very useful and very professionally done were made it would add interest. For example a PIM or G/L program that could be integrated easily into a larger app or used standalone. Give it away ( maybe with a single user runtime), get users and hope they want to use this as part of a larger app. Of cours this would have to have the look and feel of something on the order of Quickbooks or MS Money. This will provide an image of Alpha as being a "professional" level development environment.
        I use Alpha internally in lots of places but I have to admit that it someone else looks at the apps their first impression is not likely to be that these are professional apps. They might work the same or better, but obviously werent't designed by a graphic designer. It's kind of like the Alpha web site. It now has a really polished professional look. This reflects on the product. Now there is a need for an app that reflects this same professionalism . (and I don't mean Alpha sports. Alpha sports is a great learning took but isn't really that usable, nor does it have a very professional look.)

        Didn't really mean to write this much but hope there are some ideas that are useful.

        Russ

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Need your advice please

          Hi Richard,

          Man are you going to get a lot of various suggestions!

          My favorite rags are
          PC World
          PC Mag
          eWeek

          I also enjoy going to Tech Republic and looking through the site and reading articles.

          Hope this helps.

          Dan

          Dan Blank Databases, Inc.
          Dan

          Dan Blank builds Databases
          Skype: danblank

          Comment


            #6
            RE: Need your advice please

            Selwyn:

            Tech Republic

            I hope this helps

            bob adler

            Comment


              #7
              RE: Need your advice please

              Richard

              Perhaps you are asking the wrong people - ie the developers community. Our clients (well that's being polite) are by and large computer ignorant. They might buy PCWeek but read and then understand it, I rather doubt.

              What about trying some of the heavies like the New York Times, or in this country the FT or the business supplement of the Telegraph or the Guardian. They are as ignorant as most of the business community (our clents) and so if they think it's cost effective then most of our "potentials" won't be bothered that they haven't heard of A5. Afterall most of them don't understand Office let alone the neanderthal product Access!!

              Regards

              Tom

              Comment


                #8
                RE: Need your advice please

                www.experts-exchange.com
                David Brown

                Comment


                  #9
                  RE: Need your advice please

                  eWeek
                  Computerworld
                  Infoworld
                  http://www.intelligententerprise.com/
                  Searcher - http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/default.shtml

                  Comment


                    #10
                    RE: Need your advice please

                    ziff davis
                    Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
                    972 524 8714
                    [email protected]

                    ____________________
                    "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

                    Comment


                      #11
                      RE: Need your advice please

                      I can remember a time when you could buy Alpha products on the shelf at your local computer store. Thats how I found Alpha 4 in the beginning.

                      Jason

                      Comment


                        #12
                        RE: Need your advice please

                        Here's what I regularly monitor:

                        print:
                        PC Plus
                        PC Pro
                        PC Format
                        (magazines with cover CD)

                        online pubs:
                        PCWeek
                        EWeek

                        in Canada: itBusiness.ca
                        (includes Computing Canada/ Computer Dealer News / Technology in Government/ ITBusiness Report and others

                        "popular" lists:
                        Langa List
                        Lockergnome
                        WUGNET

                        Local (Ottawa/E.Ont/W.Quebec):
                        Monitor magazine (avail. free in most local computer stores)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Need your advice please

                          Richard:

                          I have two suggestions:

                          [1] Visit http://www.download.com and anyone searching for database or DBMS or RDBMS should be re-directed to Alpha to download the demo

                          [2] Knowing that a majority of corporate or enterprise users, unless they have IT on hand, will not venture into writing a database themselves. They will go to authorized or certified solutions provider. If anything, I suggest that the forum should be moderated by Alpha for two very good reasons:

                          (a) The developers will now have to address questions that might give them a better grip on what the real world wants Aplha to do in terms of development. Not only will the developer have his question answered but also will the patches and upgrade will make Alpha a formidable product

                          (b) Moderator's response will be watched by the Alpha user's community who will be educated themselves to provide solutions for their client which is efficient. Let not the user to told that's the best we could do for now till Alpha comes with more features

                          HTH
                          Mickey
                          Mickey Shekdar

                          Comment


                            #14
                            RE: Need your advice please

                            Mickey
                            Thanks for your comments!
                            I would like to talk to you further on this topic, if that is ok with you?
                            Please email me with your contact info and good times to talk.

                            Thanks and Regards
                            Richard Rabins
                            Co Chairman
                            Alpha Software
                            617 838 4488 cell phone
                            [email protected]
                            Richard Rabins
                            Co Chairman
                            Alpha Software

                            Comment


                              #15
                              RE: Need your advice please

                              Hello Richard:

                              Sorry for staggering delay in responding. I was unaware of your response and look forward to talking with you at your convenience. I will be calling you sometime today and you can always reach me at 718-980-6321

                              Your thread titled Alpha Five trial to be bundled on 6-9 million PC's is a welcome news and I am taking the liberty of penning my thoughts that come to mind, critical not only to Alpha�s success but to the developer community�s too!

                              [a] The royalty free run-time licensing policies are detrimental to Alpha�s interest
                              [b] Forum needs to be moderated

                              Let me attempt to begin elucidate my thoughts.

                              My applications are designed on the DataEase platform and I believed nothing else can get close to DataEase. My belief was happily shattered about a month back when I explored Alpha Five. At best, DataEase is in its stone age!

                              And I am sure tremendous resources have been invested in bringing Alpha Five to where it is now and where it is going.

                              Needless to say, Alpha Five is not for the faint hearted. The developer community will always play a pivotal role in its success. Undoubtedly, our success cannot be realized without yours!

                              [a] The royalty free run-time licensing policies are detrimental to Alpha�s interest

                              A one time payoff entitles the developer unlimited distribution of user licenses. On the surface, we are happy campers! I do not see the math here but wonder what sustains a mutually rewarding relationship.

                              I am a Business Partner of a large accounting software publisher besides several others and the only advantage I have over direct customer is break in price level at which run time licenses are sold.

                              [b] Forum needs to be moderated

                              Although I have seen some level of Alpha�s participation in the forum, majority of the responses are from the user community. Some are very qualified while others do not hide their intolerance towards others, etc.

                              It would be very helpful if the forum is moderated by Alpha and by other qualified individuals assigned the status of moderator by Alpha.

                              Such participation by Alpha would serve the dual purpose of [a] providing qualified resolutions to the users; and [b] on-hands training for the programmer in responding to real time issues. Perhaps the programmers are assigned this task on a rotating basis...

                              And better still, perhaps there is a per incident charge established to handle these requests

                              More when we talk!

                              Regards
                              Mickey Shekdar
                              Mickey Shekdar

                              Comment

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