Re: V8 release date
Martin,
You, too, are right on target - at least up to where you say that the Alpha users would have to write the documentation.
I know from whence you come, but that "little" task is the job of the software company, not the users. And if it takes a team, which I agree it will, then that team needs to get on board asap.
Alpha is the only software I've ever used that depends to such a degree on its users to provide support to other users. Now, PULEEZ guys and gals, do NOT get me wrong on this. I think this forum is absolutely fantastic, truly.
That being said, however, I must also say that it has provided a way, damn, what words do I want. I hate to say it, but I think "cop out" sorta fits the bill, in that Alpha over depends on its users and is thus relieved of a lot of their responsibility. And that statement is sure to get me fried, yet again.
I just think that the brothers Rabin need to take a fresh look at the way support, which includes proper documentation, is provided.
Alpha appears to have grown out of the DOS world when every programmer had to be at the swap shop every weekend finding the latest chip and micro-switch to build, or upgrade, his computer. In other words, the users were true geeks.
That ain't the case today. As several have said on this thread and others, they are not full-time Alpha programmers and don't have it all memorized.
Back in the early '70s, I worked with a Wang computer that had a 4k memory and a single cassette drive as it's only storage device. Dr. An Wang, one of the two inventors of magnetic core memory, was a genius of the first order. When he left IBM (he was the single largest shareholder as a result of his invention) and founded Wang Laboratories, he demanded clear user documentation from the earliest days.
That was one of the reasons that his computers caught on so fast back in the dark ages when the dinosaurs wore golf shoes to punch the cards.
The other reason was that all his computers had the BASIC language was stored on chips as part of the operating system, so that interpreting the code only had to occur once, rather than on each pass, which made the machines very fast for the tiime. (You CPM'ers remember interpreting, I know... :D )
My point is that Wang documentation was complete and easy to use. In the early '80s I had a software company that included 13 programmers who always wondered how I could solve a programming problem so quickly. The secret was that I knew where to look for the answer in the documentation.
Unfortunately, such cannot be said about Alpha docs, and I sure wish it were different cuz my gray matter leaketh out as time has proceeded.
But if it does take the users to do it, perhaps the old farts who know what I am talking about could band together and do it right - and then sell it. LOL
Whew, this one sure got long. Well, it is time to get ready for the big bird that is gonna disappear before our thankful eyes on this lovely Thanksgiving Day 2006. We can be truly thankful when our troops come home for good.
Amen.
Martin,
You, too, are right on target - at least up to where you say that the Alpha users would have to write the documentation.
I know from whence you come, but that "little" task is the job of the software company, not the users. And if it takes a team, which I agree it will, then that team needs to get on board asap.
Alpha is the only software I've ever used that depends to such a degree on its users to provide support to other users. Now, PULEEZ guys and gals, do NOT get me wrong on this. I think this forum is absolutely fantastic, truly.
That being said, however, I must also say that it has provided a way, damn, what words do I want. I hate to say it, but I think "cop out" sorta fits the bill, in that Alpha over depends on its users and is thus relieved of a lot of their responsibility. And that statement is sure to get me fried, yet again.
I just think that the brothers Rabin need to take a fresh look at the way support, which includes proper documentation, is provided.
Alpha appears to have grown out of the DOS world when every programmer had to be at the swap shop every weekend finding the latest chip and micro-switch to build, or upgrade, his computer. In other words, the users were true geeks.
That ain't the case today. As several have said on this thread and others, they are not full-time Alpha programmers and don't have it all memorized.
Back in the early '70s, I worked with a Wang computer that had a 4k memory and a single cassette drive as it's only storage device. Dr. An Wang, one of the two inventors of magnetic core memory, was a genius of the first order. When he left IBM (he was the single largest shareholder as a result of his invention) and founded Wang Laboratories, he demanded clear user documentation from the earliest days.
That was one of the reasons that his computers caught on so fast back in the dark ages when the dinosaurs wore golf shoes to punch the cards.
The other reason was that all his computers had the BASIC language was stored on chips as part of the operating system, so that interpreting the code only had to occur once, rather than on each pass, which made the machines very fast for the tiime. (You CPM'ers remember interpreting, I know... :D )
My point is that Wang documentation was complete and easy to use. In the early '80s I had a software company that included 13 programmers who always wondered how I could solve a programming problem so quickly. The secret was that I knew where to look for the answer in the documentation.
Unfortunately, such cannot be said about Alpha docs, and I sure wish it were different cuz my gray matter leaketh out as time has proceeded.
But if it does take the users to do it, perhaps the old farts who know what I am talking about could band together and do it right - and then sell it. LOL
Whew, this one sure got long. Well, it is time to get ready for the big bird that is gonna disappear before our thankful eyes on this lovely Thanksgiving Day 2006. We can be truly thankful when our troops come home for good.
Amen.
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