Re: Database Report Generator - beta testers needed

Wolfgang Wrote:

> I have had the pleasure of having had Alex as a "partner" for over a decade
> and I continually marvel at his brillance. Alex has been a key factor in

 > [...]

> One of my wishes is that someday we may have someone as brilliant as Alex
> join us as a "partner" (working shareholder), he is that good.
>

{Sound Effect : Irish software developer throwing up into his waste paper basket on reading the above at 7am on a Sunday morning}

I promised myself I'd stay out of this, but this is just *too* much!

 > I have been following this thread with bemusement and
 > concern. Personally, it is not my style to offend anyone. Alex
 > simply wants his message to get out, in every way possible.
 > Obviously, it has offended the sensibilities of some.
 >

If you had actually been following this thread you'd know that the problem was not the content of Alex's message but his chosen means of propagating it. The problem now appears to be that Alex's ego is bruised so he's talked his boss into defending him. Alex is clearly one of those people who simply can not bear to lose an argument, even if it means permanently antagonizing someone. He doesn't seem to have the slightest idea of the harm he is doing to his employer's reputation.

> If I may be so bold, let me suggest that you do not judge Alex until you
> have tested his work.
>

I *HAVE* tested his work. I wanted to validate my theory that competent software developers don't use SPAM. So far the theory holds up! I didn't even get to the installation stage before I came across the following on   your website:

http://www.gestalt.com/Scribe/FutureDevelopment.html

 > Table joins. At the present time, Scribe can only retrieve data from
 > individual tables and views. A mechanism for graphical joining of
 > multiple tables in a report process flowchart must be developed; along
 > with the controls for fine-tuning the join (outer/inner etc.).
 >

Given that competent relational database design tends to involve multiple tables it's extremely hard to see what possible use 'scribe' is or how it could be described as 'beta software'.

Anyone who doesn't regard joins as a 'must have' feature in a report generator clearly hasn't paid attention to the marketplace.

This failure to implement anything other than the most ludicrously basic functionality would also explain Alex's claim that he only needs a few days to add a new database to his product.

There are other things I found out about scribe that I'm not going to tell you because to do so would be to reward Alex for his behavior. Suffice it to say I shall be very surprised if it ever becomes widely known, except in the context of SPAM and internet abuse.

David Rolfe Received on Sun May 16 2004 - 04:34:17 CDT