Using identifiers with more than 7 chars. #$%@

[Mike I'll be mellow when I'm dead Meyer]

In article <171 at desint.UUCP> geoff at desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning) writes:
>Gee, that's awfully generous of you, Mike.  So it's all my fault the
>compiler doesn't support flexnames now?  I should go change vendors,
>huh?  (Are you offering to buy my existing equipment at a price high
>enough to let me afford the latest and greatest?)
>
>Oh, you don't want me to replace my still-functional obsolete
>equipment?  I should just go "shout" at the vendor to supply me with V.2.
>Let's see, the president of that defunct company works in Irvine;
>that's driving distance for me.  Maybe I could go shout at him.  Or are
>you offering to buy me a ticket to Paris so I can go shout at the V.P.
>of Engineering?

Ok, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. You bought hardware, and
the company died. This could happen to anyone who doesn't buy from IBM, so
you're not to blame. That's the break you asked for.

>Give me a break, Mike.  Even if I had a live vendor like MicroSoft, do
>you really think that Bill Gates is going to change his release
>schedules just because I yelled at one of his support persons?

No, but if a large part of their customer base started complaining about it,
they might. Then again, unless there's any truth to the rumor about
Microsoft having changed there support policy, all customer complaints will
be ignored.

One thing is certain - complaining because people post software that you're
obsolete compiler doesn't accept will *NOT* get you a better compiler.

>Oh, I understand now.  I blew it when I picked vendors.  All I can say
>is that it sure must be nice to be able to see into the future and see
>which vendors are not going to make it.  Care to recommend any stocks
>for me?

Unfortunately, that ability doesn't extend to picking companies with
reasonble software support et. al. Solution: complain, and if they don't
change, ignore them. That's why I don't know if MicroShaft actually has a
better support policy these days.

For stock, buy Commodore-Amiga. They have a great machine, respectable
software, a reasonable dealer network, and competent tech support people.
None of which insures that they will survive. :-)

	<mike