****** Forwarded Message Follows *******

>To: <dfuller@...>
>From: "Olivier Mascia" <om@...>
>Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 19:46:23 +0200
>
>
>Mr Fuller,
>
>Not being a native english speaking people, I couldn't find better words

to

>express my message to you than by copying below the message Mr Leyne sent

>you. It perfectly suits my thinking about what is going on about Interbase.

>I second every word of it.
>
>I'll only add this, sincerely said, without any gratuitous animosity and

>without any other intent than saying what we think and not injuring :
>
>I have, my company has, and my customers will have for sure strong concerns

>about you and your team ability to handle this issue as long as you'll hide

>behind 'lawyers' issues unsolved after SIX monthes. There are no doubts

this

>feeling will quickly spread to the Inprise/Borland company as a whole.
>
>I hope you can show all of us how a CEO of such an important international

>company can positively react and solve problems, even without the help of

>your lawyers. This may well be the time to take daring decisions, on your

>own. By *really* releasing the code to Interbase, you still may make a move

>with an incredible positive impact on our industry. This single move can

pay

>more in public recognition for Inprise/Borland than what Interbase may have

>earned the company (if any, really) while badly marketed as a commercial

>product along those very last years.
>
>Looking forward your kind answer and undoubtly positive reaction,
>Best Regards,
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>Olivier Mascia T.I.P. Group SA
>om@... www.tipgroup.com
>Director, Chief Software Architect +32 65 401111
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Leyne, Sean" <InterbaseArchitecture@...>
>To: <dfuller@...>
>Cc: "Interbase Discusion Group" <Interbase@...>;
><IB-Architect@egroups.com>
>Sent: Friday, July 14, 2000 7:14 PM
>Subject: [IB-Architect] Open-Source Interbase
>
>
>| Mr. Fuller.
>|
>| Based on my perception (and the perception of others I know) of how you,

>| and your organization, have mishandled the entire Interbase product for

>| the last 18 months, makes truly wonder how you became the CEO of the
>| Borland/Inprise organization.
>|
>| First, you don't commit any real resources to product development and/or

>| marketing. This results in most of the product group quitting. This

>| sends a message to the entire IB community that you don't care at all

>| about the product or the developers which use it. (For myself, I thought

>| the product was dead and actively began investigating other solutions)

>|
>| Then, you announce that IB's going to open-source within six months.
>| (For myself, I thought the product was now on life support -- I could

>| not see how a complicated product like IB could be developed by a
>| uninformed [relatively] community).
>|
>| Then, there the announcement that Ann and Paul will be part of the
>| management team for the new company and with Jim Starkey taking a
>| technological/consultative role. This addresses some of the concerns

>| amonst the community and certainly envigorates ideas regarding the
>| technical direction of the product. (Based on the management group, I

>| not only decide to not write off IB but actually become very keen on
>| where I see the product going)
>|
>|
>| Here comes the enfuriating part!!!
>|
>| The developer/user community and myself has been building and eagerly

>| waiting for the source, software deployment plans made.
>|
>| You have had SIX months (a lifetime in Internet years) to get this
>| deployed, and as far as anyone can tell -- you've just haven't cared!!!

>|
>|
>| The bottom line,
>|
>| You have a dead product (IB 5.6), you have an opportunity to extract
>| some value for it.
>|
>| There is an excelent opportunity to exploit the growing open-source
>| market, there are few competitors. But this is changing -- existing
>| products are improving at internet speed and new products are appearing.

>| This window is closing...
>|
>| Unless you get your act in gear and release the source TODAY -- to allow

>| for the Cobalt announcement to proceed -- you will probably loose Ann,

>| Paul, Jim and along with them, me and probably the rest of the IB
>| community!
>|
>| As a community, we looking for real action and decision (not some meally

>| mouth excuse about 'the lawyers').
>|
>| Sean Leyne
>| Atkin & Associates
>
>
>
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