Re: For Robert Holmgren re: past present future

[kfrank@xxxxxxxx]

Actually I think you slightly misinterpret my drift as it relates
to our choice to attempt to walk down both industry standard and
power user paths. I have no illusions whatsoever about
competing in the mainstream word processing market, nor is it a
component of our business plan. You are absolutely right that
such a course would be "laughable futile & wasteful" (but since I
did not think either side of your dialog with Tim Baehr was
ridiculous, I resist that comparison).

In fact our views on business is are not all that dissimilar and
out real direction is exactly what you describe, i.e. finding a
niche and being the best possible in that arena. The part of it
you don't know, and of course would have no way of knowing, is
that we are in a transition period, with products that will
enable us to accomplish that objective still under development.
Although I firmly believe that for any software product to
prosper in today's world it must be able to be at home in the
industry standard environment, we continue to build our products
so they also provide alternative access to the full
functionality for those who can use it. Until we are in a
position to release our new products, which by the way I believe
will be of great interest to our current users and at the very
least will make XyWrite function at a higher level for word
processing purposes, we are caught in a bit of the squeeze of
genuinely wanting to respond to current customers but needing to
devote as much of our resources as possible to building the next
generation of products that will really advance the technology
and the business.

I was not associated with XyQuest until we acquired XyWrite in
November, 1992, so any comments I make about their culture prior
to that time is based on my knowledge and experience since then.
 I do realize there were substantial defections, but I am not
certain they result from channeling energy into a menu interface
rather than the "power refinements users sought and found in
XyWrite". If that were so, those users would have defected to
another product that gave them a higher level of those power
refinements, and I do not think that happened because I do not
think there is such a product. My theory is that it more likely
resulted from the perceived condescenion and unresponsiveness
you describe (which I suspect corresponds temporally with the
IBM relationship) together with internal corporate pressures to
adopt market leaders.

Nevertheless, I am sure we are tarred with the same brush, and it
is easy to interpret our difficulties in getting a quality
support system up and running after we assumed the products
along with other decisions we feel we have to make as somehow a
continuation of that attitude. I can assure you it is not.

I don't know about the incident you describe relating to chain
printing, and I certainly don't know where the characterization
of not "high priority" came from. We still make plenty of late
night phone calls to our customers, and we still attempt to
respond very individually to problems, so if it broke down in
your case I apologize.

Anti-standard and individualistic are not the same things. We
are not anti-standard, but we are "exultantly individualistic",
and when you see the kinds of things we are working on you will
realize that we are doing anything but marching in the back of
anyone's parade, least of all Bill Gates'. But I would be an
utter fool to ignore him-- until the industry changes, which it
may, we sell to the market as we find it, and our challenge is to
be smarter, quicker and more creative than the giants. That is
what we are working on.

I am not trying to shush anyone up (least of all Annie Fisher-- I
don't get the impression that that would be an easy task). That
doesn't mean I have to like everything that is said, nor do I
have to accept that which I think is unfair. But I am niether
bent out of shape nor do I take any of it personally. My skin
is very thick, but I want people to have the benefit of my point
of view. Don't mistake my expressing myself with not listening.
I do both.

I was not aware of another XyWrite conference, and I would like
to participate there as well, regardless of the tone. Please
let me know how to access it.  I think the tone of this list has
changed since we began to participate this year. I don't mind
the heat if people are intelligent and reasonable. I don't
think you can say that I am uncommunicative, and believe me that
reflects our institutional mindset.

I agree that we are lucky to have the fanatic support of hard
heads like you.
 It is probably fortunate for you that we are just as heard
headed.

K.