Open Letter to Eric Sink

18 Comments

• Dear Robert
  
  
  
  Can you please tell me, in detail, why GenX is more compelling than, say, the a CSV file ?
  
  
  
  Translation : If you don't want it, nobody is forcing you to buy it.
  
  

• Well Damian,
  
  
  
  GenX.NET makes CSV files, so I don't know what you mean. But thanks for asking.
  

• Translation Damian:
  
  
  
  I was trying to get Eric Sink to publically answer one of his most-often asked questions about his product, in an effort to help promte his product and to demonstrate the power blogs have to foster conversations between companies. I was setting it up for a later entry I've been working on regarding corporate weblogging. Maybe next time you won't assume that I'm being a jerk or something.
  

• Ah, the subtleties of written communication. :-)
  
  
  
  I'm inclined not to be *too* hard on Damian. I knew at a glance that Robert was pitching me a big, fat 16-inch slow-pitch softball, but the casual reader might have read it differently.
  
  
  
  Now what have I done with my big blue aluminum softball bat?
  
  
  
  

• OK, I take it back then. It certainly came across that way.
  
  
  
  FWIW, I don't think that question can be answered better than "try it youself and see what works for you". Anything else would involve putting "competitors" down, which doesn't make anyone look good.
  
  

• <smirk>
  
  
  
  Damian doesn't know me very well yet. ;-)
  
  
  
  

• <shrugs> I dunno, I think the question can be answered honestly. I can answer why I think GenX is better than ExcelWriter without being derrogatory. If an ISV can't, they don't belong in business.
  
  
  
  Hey Eric, I'm deep in the outfield with a 3 foot softball glove.
  

• The ball's streakin towards the foul line...
  
  
  
  I didn't see you address the ability to get access to your source code from anywhere on the internet...
  

• I didn't hit that point because it's an advantage which exists in both systems. If anything GDN Workspaces might have the advantage, due to the fact that it's browser based.
  
  
  
  It's still tradeoff of simplicity vs. power though.
  
  
  
  Gotta run. Mini-vacation with the family this weekend, so I'll be digitally dark for several days. I'll let the umpire decide if my shot ends up in play. :-)
  
  
  
  

• I wasn't sure it Vault let you do that, which is why I asked.
  
  
  
  The ball stayed in play. Runner's rounding second. Enjoy your vacation.
  

• I am more interested in an analyse in what makes SourceVault better than Perforce. The latter happens to be free for up to 2 users.
  

• If you've ever read the EULA for workspaces you'd know it's not meant for production software simply because MS owns the code that's stored there.
  

• MS does not own the code that's stored there. I went round and round with MS on that when they released 1.0, and they made it very clear.
  

• MY code is on MY server, not THEIR server. A minor distinction perhaps, but significant to me, and, I suspect, others like me (all 2 of them).
  

• I think Damian had a good question though. Why should we spend money on GenX to create a simple CSV file when they're trivial to produce for free already. Its just commas and maybe some quotes running in a loop, its not like you are actually creating an Excel file which may be worth paying for if you did. You go on and on about how GenX is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and yet apparently all it does is create a lowly CSV -- so why should we think differently Robert?
  

• re: comment on vault not being able to access source code over the internet...
  
  
  
  my understanding is that is the core technology of the vault product...because it is built on web services, your client can access it from anywhere.
  
  
  
  now if you are referring to a non-client based version, then i'll shut up...but i've tested vault (and source offsite) and they both rock!
  

• forgot to ask...where do you see this $50 offer?
  

• Anonymous:
  
  
  
  If that were all GenX.NET does, I would agree with you. But it's not, that's one small feature. So the question becomes, why spend 3 hours trying to figure out how to write an ADO.NET data conversion engine when you can buy one for $20? Why only give your users the option of exporting to CSV when they can have 4 other options too? Why get locked into one format when you can have an extensible engine that will translate into any format you wish?