I recently e-mailed a note to the Universal Software representative
on-line, Ken Lemay, in which I noted my ongoing desire for certain
features in GeoWrite (like converting cases, macros, etc.) and
explaining that I want to support New Deal but don't want to buy
the next version of the suite for just bug fixes and bindery, etc.,
and wanted him to know why I wouldn't be ordering any time soon.
What I said in part was: "I doubt if anything I have said here is very
helpful because most of the people seem to want more color drivers and
Internet capability and fax stuff, but as a DTP end user who is not a
tekkie, enhancement of the present applications rather than more
applications is what interests me the post.  If nothing is planned for
the desktop in the way of enhancing the existing applications, then I'll
stick with Ensemble 2.0."
This was the pertinent part of Ken's e-mail reply to me which I think
will be of interest to most of you posting here. If any of you
who have Internet e-mail access want to write to him, his address
is usikenl@aol.com. He said, "Worry not, I have placed your suggestion
in an special folder in which I will be keeping for our next round of
developement. As you're well aware of this release will not be a major
release, but more so one to sharpen the edges and to rerelease the
package into the retail market. We'll be marketting the package more
agressively in the near future but really need to have the product out.
As soon as we have the established user base, major developement will be
necessary. Not only internet features, but also along the lines of DTP
as well. Thank you for your suggestions, I will make sure they get to
the right person when the time comes about."
As I have said before, the past is history, both as to Geoworks the
company and its former republisher, DPI, and I think we should all back
off and not post anything negative about the bits and pieces of
plans for the future we have seen for a while. In other words, until
we have something definite to criticize about the new republisher's
performance or lack thereof, we ought to keep our mouths shut and give
USI/New Deal a fair chance to succeed. Whether or not we like the name
chosen, it is the announced name, and nothing we say here or anyone
says in comp.os.geos is IMO going to have any beneficial effect when
USI has probably already spent a lot of money on promotional materials
built around that name. It isn't going to be inclined to change it,
and posts suggesting other names are just more negative expressions
that IMO are counter-productive to us eventually getting the things
we want for the desktop. FWIW I think all of us need to post "good
luck" and "we're behind you" messages to the USI rep and then sit back
and wait to see what happens.
I'm sure some of you will disagree with me on this, and only time
will tell which of us is correct, but I am an optimist and I am going
to do whatever I can to help this effort of USI to be the hoped for
success by promoting the product wherever I can even if I'm not ready to
get the upgrade for myself.  IMO the key to marketing it will be getting
shelf space in stores which cater to the segment of the general public
who are buying rebuilt older model computers for home use.  I think
there are a lot of people who can't afford the current technology
and that New Deal will sell easily in that market place if it is
attractively packaged with big lettering announcing that it runs well
on 286 and 386 PCs with minimal amounts of RAM and flies on a 486 with
8 meg of RAM. So I am going to stop in a couple of stores here in
Houston that deal in used computers and rebuilts/upgrades and ask them
if they will give this suite of applications shelf space if I put them
in touch with USI. If each of you will do the same, I bet USI will take
the ball we are throwing and run with it.
                                                Anne Page
 * SLMR 2.1a * Give them all they want, and all they will want is more.
--- QScan/PCB v1.16b / 01-0075
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