[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Re: Re: Do Mathematica applications EVER get updated?

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg66252] Re: [mg66223] Re: Do Mathematica applications EVER get updated?
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 05:03:26 -0400 (EDT)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <e36vlj$n8n$1@smc.vnet.net> <e39ksi$cus$1@smc.vnet.net> <200605040921.FAA09579@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

It's actually a VERY nice way to do business, for when a problem arises, 
you are able to interact with the person who knows the most!  No 
outsourced intermediaries, ....

Nasser Abbasi wrote:
> "Jens-Peer Kuska" <kuska at informatik.uni-leipzig.de> wrote in message 
> news:e39ksi$cus$1 at smc.vnet.net...
>> Hi,
>>
>> why not ask the individual developer ??
> 
> I have never heard of a customer having to look for and ask individual 
> developers inside a company about product updates.
> 
> For example, if the next MS word version gets delayed, do you pick up the 
> phone and dial 1800 Microsoft and ask to please talk to the developer of MS 
> word to ask him/her about the status of the application?
> 
> Do you have the phone number of the developer for the VISTA operating system 
> because I need to call him/her to ask when it will be released.
> 
> Do you have a list of phone numbers I can call to find who is the developer 
> to each one of the listed Mathematica packages?
> 
> This must be a new method of doing business that I have not heard of before.
> 
>> At least for my package I can tell you that I'm
>> working on the next version and it should be
>> finished at the end of the year.
>>
>> The Digital Image Processing package is also active
>> developed and I'm sure the Mariusz Jankowski is
>> working on the next version.
>>
> 
> How do you know that? how do customers know this? Where is this listed on 
> the web site for the DIP product?
> http://www.wolfram.com/products/applications/digitalimage/
> 
> I do not see any name of developer there or any email address or any phone 
> numbers.
> 
> If you know some internal information such as the above, then this does not 
> mean the public knows this as well.
> 
> This is NOT how software business should work.
> 
>> Regards
>>   Jens
>>
>> Nasser Abbasi wrote:
>>> Is it worth buying more Mathematica applications?
>>>
>>> I am asking, because it seems these applications are hardly ever being
>>> updated.
>>>
>>> Look at the structural mechanics application
>>>
>>> http://documents.wolfram.com/applications/structural/index.html
>>>
>>> It is still version 1, and the copyright shows it was published in 1999.
>>> This is 7 years ago !! This is like a million years ago in computer 
>>> software
>>> time.
>>>
>>> The control systems application
>>> http://documents.wolfram.com/applications/control/FrontMatter/0.2.html
>>>
>>> Still at version 2.2 since January 2003. This is 4 years ago without any
>>> single update.
>>>
>>> The Signals and Systems application
>>> http://www.wolfram.com/products/applications/signals/
>>>
>>> Still at version 1.2.1 from 1995 (this is 11 years ago).
>>>
>>> And I can go on and on.
>>>
>>> Another big problem is that it is almost impossible to figure what 
>>> version
>>> number these application are at and when was the last version released. 
>>> It
>>> is as if this is intentionally kept hidden.  Look at the mechanical 
>>> system
>>> package
>>>
>>> http://www.wolfram.com/products/applications/mechsystems/
>>>
>>> It says at the top "NEW VERSION". but no version number or when was this
>>> version released. When you scroll to the bottom of the page, it says
>>> mechanical system 2. Then it says 1994-2005.  Whatever this is supposed 
>>> to
>>> mean is anyone's guess.
>>>
>>> Can any one from the company explain all of this?
>>>
>>> I was about to buy the structural mechanics package, but last minute when 
>>> I
>>> checked the date on it, and that it was still version 1 since 1999, I 
>>> closed
>>> the window and did not buy it. It is clear that there are many dead
>>> applications that are not being maintained and are still being sold to
>>> customers.
>>>
>>> Nasser
>>>
> 
> 

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • Re: Do Mathematica applications EVER get updated?
    • From: "Nasser Abbasi" <nma@12000.org>