Doug White wrote in comp.os.msdos.misc
[Some deleted for brevity including parts of my rant]
Doug ,
Sometime between 1983 and 1993 you and your team wrote some
programs ,to an API (MS-DOS) spec. that your company approved.
The company bought the proper OS , development tools ,and the
project worked wonderfully. You were placed in charge of future
development on this project as it is critical to the functioning
of the company. The team was disbanded and you were given
additional duties ,as said program was saving many man hours.
In 1994 the OS company announced after 1996 they would no
longer support the API (MS-DOS) originally developed in 1981.
However they would continue to support the 1990 API (Win3) for
several years and encouraged developers to start moving on to
the newly released API (Win9/NT).
The problem is that the way I do the rest of my work has evolved, and
I need to be able to get results into a Windows compatible format.
So your work evolved beyond what the original API (DOS) could do
and the company bought a new OS ,requiring a new API (XP) to
function fully.
. IT says they can't justify spending time supporting an old app,
independent of whether it is more useful than the commercial junk they
can't support either.
Money is useless in the face of marketing people who want to sell games
& multimedia applications to the masses. The entire defense industry is
[Deleted]
Money is not useless ,you were in charge of future development.
Hire a new team ,buy a new API (XP) and update this code to add
the new features required.
[deleted for brevity]
As I said, there is no "commercial company" that wrote this stuff. I
The commercial company that wrote "this stuff" is the defense
contractor that you work for. They are charging DOD for the
services they provide and are surely well compensated.
It's pretty clear where you stand on the issues: clueless, like most of
the other sheep.
Doug
Please let me clarify where I am standing. A customer buys a
battle tank from me. The spec was the tank could withstand
a frontal hit from a 60mm gun. 10 years later the customer
contacts me and wants the tank to withstand an 80mm gun (other
apps need win xp). I tell the customer we can sell him an
upgrade (OS) but there will be compromises unless he buys a
new drive train from a 3rd party (update the program). The
customer opts for only the upgrade of bolting an additional
6000 pounds of armor plate to the tanks' front. Now the
customer is yelling at me because the tank has reduced travel
range and speed (program works but can't save screen).
Please try to see both sides,
Mark Whitlock
