in X-SELMA: [REBOL] 107012 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>My latest work on the HTML dialect requires REBOL/View with the new parse
>block capability.
this warning goes out to all on this list, not just Andrew.
Please do not tread there so fast.
It is fine to be involved with /view so early but
"my latest mmmmm (now) requires xxxx/yyyy with feature zzzzz"
is a phrase that should make all kinds of red flags go up.
you are forcing users of your high quality product
to migrate when some of them cannot (yet).
Forcing people to migrate is a tactic
which only large monopolistic companies can afford
because they don't care about customers and user-base.
What you get when you don't have a monopoly
is burned users, bad reputation and customers
who simply drop the Rebol language.
I would expect that this kind of non-portability/alienation
is exactly the kind that rebol technologies is trying to avoid.
A feature which is not available everywhere should not entice
developers to limit the number of platforms that
they offer the product on.
If you have a product out
(which is already compatible with the /core product)
and you decide that with some feature only in /view (presently)
you could make your own product sexier, cleaner, neater
or more maintainable (all good reasons for rewriting code ),
then you are, in effect, withdrawing support for the old product line.
Ask yourself if you will be more respected
for withdrawing such support.
this withdrawal is especially hurtful if the new feature is only in a
beta product which may not be deployable in a commercial context
for some time due to beta licensing requirements.
;# mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
