Even as one vocal about short-comings in RB, I think it is good to
remember this is a relatively small company in a highly-saturated area
of computing.
The most vocal people regarding any product tend to be unhappy
customers, even mildly unhappy ones. One reason RB receives so much
flack is that it is the only serious VB-like tool on the Mac. For those
wanting to avoid .Net on Windows, RB is one of only a handful of
commercial options.
In other words, RB exists under a bright spotlight. It can't be easy.
The handling of the VB and Delphi communities is both an opportunity and
a risk, for example. These are sometimes ancient programmers using very
mature tools. They are a demanding bunch. (I admit, pondering my old
Vic-20 and DEC-Rainbow days.)
The flip-side is that while I watch the MS and Borland mailing lists /
newsgroups, I recognize that there are more relatively negative posts on
the RB list. (Okay, the shift from Classic to .Net on the VB list was
really exciting!) Even as Borland's lists right now are filled with
rumors of who will/won't buy the Delphi Studio C#/OP/C++ IDE, most
people are talking about how they don't want their beloved tool damaged.
Maybe Real Software could improve transparency somehow. I have no idea.
As I've said before, I am predominantly interested in database features,
so I would love information on how RS is addressing those issues over
the coming year. (New, faster plug-ins? Reporting tool? Data grid
control?) But, what if they announced something and had to delay
deployment? Can you imagine the squawk?
I am likely to keep voicing concerns, but that doesn't me I can't
appreciate how difficult life must be for a small player in the compiler
field. Everything you do is compared to what MS and Apple create, not to
mention the open source community.
So, it isn't that I complain because I dislike RB, but because I know
that if they don't keep up with demands, they won't exist for long. The
dreaded tab/page panel issues come to mind as a lingering, lingering
sore spot for many. That's the sort of issue you address because it
affects far more people than narrow control wishes from the likes of me.
If I didn't think RS was trying... I wouldn't keep reading the mailing
lists.
- Scott
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