I received it yesterday. However, I haven't yet decided whether to sign or not. Perhaps the biggest sticking point is that the license specifically forbids me to use the beta to do real work - above and beyond the usual disclaimers of liability for any of the results. Now I have to ask, what's the definition / purpose of beta testing? In all the usage I've ever seen, it meant testing which gets the product in the hands of a few select real users, so that it can be shaken down in actual use. I'm sure I'm not alone in the need to have my time be productive; I can't afford to just go play with it, much as I'd like to, nor would I be likely to find any bugs their own internal testing wouldn't have found. Add that to the rumors of the new pricing structure which closes the Protel line to all but a few of the best-endowed current users, and I don't suppose I'll be using the product anyway.
As much as I would like to believe otherwise, it seems that Protel has gone the way of so many other technology companies - the initial few real sharp individuals with vision became successful enough at what they set out to do, to become targets for the financial "wizards", and now the company is driven by the bean-counters, and will shortly be crying that it's lost market share and it can't stay afloat, layoffs, govt bailouts, etc. Within a short time, though, will come another entrepeneur who recognizes the void which Protel has left, and fills it with tools which advance the state of the art, at a price which fits the vast numbers of small shops which have been overlooked by the financial types. Looks like I'm stuck with P99SEsp6, warts and all, until that next entrepeneur gets going. Hmmm, my degree is in computer science (I started out doing mostly programming), and I've now got a lot of experience designing PC boards so I also know the user side of things. Maybe a new business opportunity here..... Steve Hendrix * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/proteledaforum@techservinc.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *