Re: RPG H, F, and D specs freeform documentation software

Jeff,

Are they offering a migration to a more supported product? For example,
does Help Systems offer two similar products, possibly through
acquisitions? And now they are trying to get you to move to the similar
product?

They are doing this with Messenger Plus to Halcyon and making it look
quite attractive. Any if you feel that you just want to stay on Messenger
Plus it's going into a "milk the maintenance fee" mode but they do have an
end date on even that. I consider that only for those who want to keep
maintenance going just long enough to move to a new box and get that key.


Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1
Group Dekko
Dept 1600
Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://www.dekko.com





From: Jeff Crosby <jlcrosby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 04/21/2016 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: RPG H, F, and D specs freeform documentation software
Sent by: "MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>



Out of the blue I got ANOTHER call from Help Systems regarding updating
Abstract for full freeform RPG.

They reviewed it again and said there will be no updates to the product
"for the foreseeable future". I asked if that meant "ever" and her
response was "at least not in 2016."

She also told me that other Abstract users were asking for this, in case
that made me "feel better." Really? It's about "feelings?" I said if
anything that made it worse. Multiple users (not just me) are asking for
it and they're still not going to do it. However, if there's a sudden
groundswell, they might look at it again.

I also told her I was getting the impression they were never going to do
any updates, but just milk the product for maintenance fees. She agreed
it
looked that way. I also asked if they expected to sell any additional
licenses since there wasn't support for freeform. She said that could be
an issue. I said more like a problem.




On Sat, Apr 9, 2016 at 6:56 PM, Jeff Crosby <jlcrosby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

I was not a jacka$$ when talking to her on the phone, but I can say,
without question, that I made my point.

My opinion of HelpSystems has taken an extreme nosedive.


On Sat, Apr 9, 2016 at 3:22 PM, Vernon Hamberg

<vhamberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

wrote:

+1

When I started in this field in 1989, at Help Systems, there was a
co-marketing kind of relationship between HS and Hawkeye. That is no

more.

In recent years I went looking for Pathfinder and had the hardest time

of

it - so I pretty much gave up - I had my doubts that they even had a

plugin

for WDSC, etc.

We have Abstract, and they DO have a plugin - albeit done, may I say,

on

the cheap? You have to install the Abstract component into Access, then

the

plugin basically runs things out of that component. It is useful but

kind

of weak, seems to me.

And now with the "stabilizing", shall we say, of Access, this becomes
more of a problem. There's a similar question around SEQUEL's

dependence on

Access for authentication in its Viewpoint client - I expect SEQUEL to

take

care of that challenge, and I want to see Abstract being developed just

as

vigorously.

We shall see - and I HAVE had some communications with these companies
about this.

Cheers
Vern


On 4/8/2016 5:20 PM, Jon Paris wrote:

Glad to hear it Doug,

If only they didn’t make it appear that they don’t actually want to

sell

anything to you!

The website is better than it used to be, but if I didn’t already know

I

wanted the product I doubt I’d have the patience to go through all the

form

filling to find out more.


Jon Paris

www.partner400.com
www.SystemiDeveloper.com

On Apr 8, 2016, at 5:05 PM, Englander, Douglas <

Douglas_Englander@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Jon,

Pathfinder does support free format H, F, and D specs in their latest
release.

Doug

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Jeff Crosby
VP Information Systems
UniPro FoodService/Dilgard
P.O. Box 13369
Ft. Wayne, IN 46868-3369
260-422-7531
www.dilgardfoods.com

The opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the opinion of my
company. Unless I say so.

--


Jeff Crosby
VP Information Systems
UniPro FoodService/Dilgard
P.O. Box 13369
Ft. Wayne, IN 46868-3369
260-422-7531
www.dilgardfoods.com

The opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the opinion of my
company. Unless I say so.
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