Re: The New Roadmap

In article <vg2s63d9rnbuue7fvlko6u81kclht58hsq@xxxxxxx>, Lord Crc
says...

In any event, while polling 1000 people can lead to a highly accurate
prediction of the outcome of an election say, that's because those
people were selected with great care to be a representative subset of
the entire population of registered voters.

Actually it's usually because there is NO selection performed at all. A
sample that is chosen specifically to be a representatively random
sample by definition isn't random.

;)


This is certainly NOT the case with the people who votes in QC. Since
we (at least I) do not have any data that relates the subset of users
who are active in QC with the general population of Delphi users, at
least I can't be sure that those who are active in QC aren't also more
likely to want win64 bit development.

Right, but QC data is only one variable. I do not know anyone who is
active in QC (most Delphi developers I know on a "shaking hands basis"
don't even seem to be aware of QC).

Almost without exception (I only say that because I haven't discussed
the subject with ALL of them, not because I know there is any variation
of views) there is dismay at the roadmap and at 64-bit being perpetually
"at the end of the rainbow".

Not one of them - not even me - has voted for 64-bit support in QC. So
is QC over-emphasising demand for 64-bit or UNDERstating it?



So, it makes little sense to draw any conclusion from this other that
there is a non-zero interest for the feature. Saying that "most"
Delphi users want it is a huge stretch, imho.

Yep, but successful businesses don't just respond to their customers
wants and needs, they ANTICIPATE.

64-bit is coming - like it or not. Many of CodeGears current and future
customers perhaps aren't even aware of the impact and implications that
it will have on them or, more importantly, their users and customers.

It's CodeGears job - if they wish to succeed - to anticipate that and
lead those customers to where CodeGear knows they need to be, even if
they do not as yet know it themselves.


To take UniCode and .net on the other hand..... the two things that seem
to be pushing 64-bit to the end of the CodeGear rainbow.... these
things are both here. Now. If customers want them, they will be doing
something about it NOW, or more likely will have done something about it
already. CodeGear doing something in the future, even in the near
future, won't actually do much to win those customers or change their
established courses.

Equally, those customers who haven't yet gone .net and who haven't yet
felt compelled to seek out solutions to UniCode problems are unlikely to
be needing them anytime soon either.

Maybe some will.

But my guess, and my feeling, is that 64-bit is a more pressing and
genuine need in the Delphi development community than is reflected in
the apparent "demand".

The relationship between Supply and Demand is not a necessarily
reactive. It can be pro-active. Creating supply can uncover and
stimulate demand.

A supply that only ever responds to an existing demand will lose
business to competitors that anticipate and _stimulate_ the demand that
_they_ are best able to supply.

Currently CodeGear really are "where it's at" when it comes to native
code development tools for Windows. It's truly bizarre that they are
not exploiting this position to the absolute best of their ability (or
perhaps more distressing - to think that they are and that this IS their
best... but I'd prefer to think not)

They should be stimulating the demand for what they do best, not feeding
off of scraps dropped at the .net table.


+0.02

--
JS
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The New Roadmap
    ... When I said selected with great care, ... is QC over-emphasising demand for 64-bit or UNDERstating it? ... to be pushing 64-bit to the end of the CodeGear rainbow.... ... If customers want them, they will be doing ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
  • Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3
    ... well if they can't sell devices that do what their customers want them ... customers demand), then they won't sell very much. ... their contributions are out of the equation. ... because they are no longer using GPL software. ...
    (Linux-Kernel)
  • Re: A cross-platform vision for Delphi
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  • Re: Delphi and the .Net platform
    ... CodeGear competitive. ... This is probably the major customer base of Delphi, ... There is no way CodeGear can attract new customers with Delphi for .NET. ... If CodeGear wants to compete on .NET, ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
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