xsharp.eu • GrafX is out of business
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GrafX is out of business

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:06 am
by wriedmann
at least this is claimed on www.grafxsoft.com.

They have put a new page on the web - www.visualobjects.net - where they continue to sell Vulcan.NET, Visual Object, ReportPro and Clipper. The only possible payment is Paypal, so probably they don't issue invoices anymore.

Wolfgang

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:49 pm
by ic2
For those who don't read comp.lang.. this was my reaction:

[hr]

What a pathetic "website" Brian made. His first change of a website
since 1998 and he couldn't even create a 1 page websites without
spelling errors.

First he's neglected his paying customers for years, by not delivering
the promised 3-5 updates a year, not communicating, not making any
changes in his websites, not even keeping his NG working for more than
3 days in 2 months. Nothing.

Next, a completely fair request from Robert to corporate ended in a
totally unrealistic sum Robert would have to pay to acquire Vulcan.
Fortunately, anyone can make any software product using legally owned
installed software from others. I don't need to ask Microsoft
permission to create an Excel sheet from a VO application and X#
doesn't need to ask permission to use Vulcan libraries (if installed
legally) to compile a program.

Finally, seeing all his customers going to X#, he starts with accusing
an "X-Contractor" of theft of intellectual property. Probably all VPS
customers should start a website against Grafx demanding a refund of
the last 3 years of VPS money.


And he writes:

"We thank you for your continued support ! "

Yeah, we thank him too for his failing support. With a reasonable
effort for our VPS money from Grafx I and many others would have paid
Grafx for VPS for years to come and Robert would not even think of
starting X# - which is, no doubt, certainly no money maker.

Pathetic.

Dick

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:19 pm
by Terry
Yes Dick.

A very sad saga indeed.

Looking back I think GrafX failed to recognise its most valuable asset - that was it's User Group as a whole.

Terry

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:02 am
by rjpajaron
Hi Wolfgang,

I am busy for months now and probably for next few months but I keep monitoring XSharp but limit myself to just as lurkers. I am waiting for X# Runtime btw.

I hardly missed Grafx at all. Not worried because X# and Robert's team are doing great job.

But the allegation thrown by Brian is completely false and baseless; and probably no one cares at all. How many people really visit that site anyway.

I dislike his way of doing business...

Regards,

Rene
Wolfgang Riedmann wrote:at least this is claimed on www.grafxsoft.com.

They have put a new page on the web - www.visualobjects.net - where they continue to sell Vulcan.NET, Visual Object, ReportPro and Clipper. The only possible payment is Paypal, so probably they don't issue invoices anymore.

Wolfgang

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 4:19 am
by TimothyS
All a bit sad really. The reality was that Vulcan was dying. If it hadn't been for the XSharp project, I would have had to close up shop, and I suspect there are others in the same situation.

That Brian persevered with VO and came up with Vulcan is much to his credit. It is a pity that he didn't move on at the appropriate time (as we all must do) to allow the language to develop.

Regards,
Tim

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:20 am
by rjpajaron
Timothy Shea wrote:All a bit sad really. The reality was that Vulcan was dying. If it hadn't been for the XSharp project, I would have had to close up shop, and I suspect there are others in the same situation.

That Brian persevered with VO and came up with Vulcan is much to his credit. It is a pity that he didn't move on at the appropriate time (as we all must do) to allow the language to develop.

Regards,
Tim
Hi Tim,

Brian could have done better and X# would have never been a necessity. To me having a enterprise apps, so invested in VO (strangely, I refrained from embracing Vulcan.NET); I want long-term viability and stability something that I did not see in Vulcan.NET that X# already demonstrated in a short period of time.

When X# Runtime releases, we all now forget there was Vulcan or VO at all.

Regards

Rene

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:34 am
by wriedmann
Hi Rene,
When X# Runtime releases, we all now forget there was Vulcan or VO at all.
We should never forget the past. VO was a fantastic development tool, but unfortunately its time is over (for new development). And Vulcan was for many of us the step to .NET, and I'm pretty sure it's name will survive in X#.
More: all the X# developers have worked also for Vulcan, so I'm sure they don't wish do forget these experiences, but learn from them.

Story is here to learn, and not to forget.
And if you write a story of X#, for sure you will mention Clipper, VO and Vulcan.

Wolfgang

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:42 am
by rjpajaron
Hi Wolfgang,

Maybe today I am less sentimental, but am sure when I am hit on the right spot my sentiments may be different. I am still in VO, staring with curiously on with X# but time and schedule I am in is so tight that I really wish I could have done better. But time...

Yes, time make me sentimental but not today.

Anyway, I am not missing VO because I am still at it. Things that I keep telling my team members, adding new features in our VO apps is not a waste of time because that same things can be ported to X#, and X# is stable and exactly what I wanted to be.

When time comes that I am moving on, all of it to X#, maybe I am in the right mind to judge whether to forget or keep lingering memories of VO. Obviously, X# lives the memories of VO and Vulcan.NET.

Regards,

Rene


Wolfgang Riedmann wrote:Hi Rene,
When X# Runtime releases, we all now forget there was Vulcan or VO at all.
We should never forget the past. VO was a fantastic development tool, but unfortunately its time is over (for new development). And Vulcan was for many of us the step to .NET, and I'm pretty sure it's name will survive in X#.
More: all the X# developers have worked also for Vulcan, so I'm sure they don't wish do forget these experiences, but learn from them.

Story is here to learn, and not to forget.
And if you write a story of X#, for sure you will mention Clipper, VO and Vulcan.

Wolfgang

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:58 am
by leon-ts
Hi,
Where can I read roadmap 2018 for XSharp?

Best regards,
Leonid

GrafX is out of business

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:54 pm
by wriedmann
Hi Leonid,

AFAIK there is no official roadmap for 2018.

But the plan for 2018 is clear, I think: release the runtime and the RDDs. This is more than enough for this year, together with some enhancements to the compiler and to the Visual Studio integration, and of course bug fixes.
Of course I had welcomed an official roadmap, but I can understand why the development team has not released one yet.

Wolfgang