[Coco] 16550 wasRe: RS232 paks

[Boisy Pitre]

On Mar 5, 2009, at 4:37 PM, Roger Taylor wrote:
> NitrOS-9 *is* a hack job, Boisy.  With you being the main person  
> behind NitrOS-9 these days (you are, correct?) and with all of  
> Cloud-9's products, Is it possible perhaps that NitrOS-9 might be  
> the better OS for Cloud-9 products than Disk BASIC, or perhaps Disk  
> BASIC might be the better OS for non Cloud-9 products?

Roger,

My understanding of the meaning of the word "hack job" is embodied by  
the following definitions that I pulled from www.urbandictionary.com:

1. A procedure or operation performed by someone with inadequate skill  
or knowlege of the subject.
2. Something done shoddily or ineptly.
3. A crude and improvised or temporary solution to a problem, designed  
to be more functional and timely than precise, durable or of good  
quality.

What is your definition of the word?  I hope it's not one of the above.

> And I still don't see what the overall point here is.  I've got  
> wireless RS-232 paks for sale.  All existing 6551 CoCo software can  
> use it.  That much is true.  All the other chit chat is not going to  
> make a hill of beans difference in what the pak will do or where  
> this system will go over time.

To be clear: Mark's critique of the technical merits of your wireless  
pak doesn't concern or interest me in the least.  I don't have a dog  
in that hunt.

What does concern me (and what you've failed to address thus far in  
your replies) is that you chose this venue, an open forum, to post a  
message indicating that you were considering giving away a product  
whose functionality mimics a product that I sell. Not only does this  
position conflict with statements you've made in the past about not  
wanting to compete with DriveWire, but it also brings into question  
your motivation for requests that you made to me some months ago to  
test software under DriveWire (which I obliged to do and which ran  
fine), under the guise that you were going to buy a copy if it worked  
(which you never did).

As someone else pointed out, this is America and laissez faire  
capitalism reigns.  You have every right to change your mind and  
create a competing product in an already small market, no matter what  
your motivation (money, ego, or both).  I don't hold patents on  
DriveWire, and while it's a nice little product that has done well for  
me, it is not my day job, so loosing sales to your product is not a  
matter of taking food from my table.  But if you're going to compete,  
compete fairly. Don't mislead people and take up their time for your  
benefit at their expense.  It is anti-competitive and it's wrong.

Regards,
Boisy G. Pitre
--
Tee-Boy
Mobile: 337.781.3570
Email: boisy at tee-boy.com
Web: http://www.tee-boy.com