> The reason you can't find a good Mercator book these days is that it's > on it's way to becoming a dead product. You can't buy it, they won't well > it, there are no > parts available, and you can't afford to hire one of the three or so > mechanics left who understand it. > The sad part is that they seem to have self-immolated themselves.
I'm pained to do so, but I have to concur. Over the past several years immediately prior to the sale of the product to Ascential, and once since, I have suggested to TSI, Mercator Software and Ascential that the way the Mercator product was marketed ORIGINALLY ( in 1996 or so) would have made it a lot more popular. At that time, TSI offered a 'run-time only' license for $250.00, available in reasonably-sized packages. With RTLs available, the potential was always there for third-party vertical market developers to create compiled maps and redistribute them.. generating RTL fees from customers from whom an authoring system license sale was simply not going to happen. The last time I spoke with Mercator about this, I was told that Mercator's strategy was to focus on those accounts who COULD justify licensing an authoring system: they did not care to market to little guys. And they meant it, too: they had then changed the RTL licensing to let people like me (third-party vertical market applications developer) purchase a package of 10 RTLs for the bargain basement price of "only" $25,000. (since this conversation the product has been sold to Ascential). Pity none of the financial people recognized... 1. Vertical Market Developers already have the marketing and support infrastructure in place; little or no additional expense to incur. 2. A $250.00 RTL fee from several thousand little users beats the snot out of a $10,000 authoring system license fee from no one. I bounced the idea of marketing RTLs thru VARs off an Ascential person shortly after the product sale, but that went nowhere fast as well. Too bad, too: I still think this is a winning idea. Michael Mattias Tal Systems, Inc. Racine WI [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Please use the following Message Identifiers as your subject prefix: <SALES>, <JOBS>, <LIST>, <TECH>, <MISC>, <EVENT>, <OFF-TOPIC> Access the list online at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EDI-L/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
