Sorry this is a bit long...

Martijn asked:

>> What is the current status of IBX and Borland?
>> Is IBX officially backed up by Borland,
>> or is Jeff the only one maintaining it?
>> How are new releases tested, etc?

qWin replied:

> Martijn wants to know this because he is now under the influence of Jason

at

> IBO. I would have thought Martijn would have know the answer to this
> question long before he moved Workbench to IBO. Why he even needs to ask
> this question is quite concerning. If Martijn is really happy with IBO,

why

> does he have to concern himself with IBX at all? I can only think that he
> has his doubts about IBO, or he is starting to act like Jason.

Isn't this a bit unfair to surmise such from his simple question?

> The one thing I find particularly nauseating about Jason is the continual
> carping about Jeff at IBX being on his own etc. It irks me because Jason

is

> the CAPTAIN of one-man-bands.

Who else is working directly with him? How many people have day to day
contact and get code submissions accepted within 24 hours and released in 48
hours when needed? I'm not aware of the IBX movement having such dynamics.
If it does, I'd love to know about it. Also, if at any time someone from the
IBX community steps up with a fix or enhancement does this dynamic response
and process immediately take place? I don't think Jeff tries to claim that
it does. As for me, I do everything in my power to make it work this way and
do a pretty good job of it and have done so for the past 5 years.

> Jason will try to cover this with his so called "open source" approach and
> that there are others collaborating on the development of IBO. Thousands
> may believe that, but not me!

What I say is true and it certainly is your right to believe otherwise.
What do you base your opinion on?

> I do not criticize IBO as a product, but I often wonder - if it is so

good,

> why does Jason have to snipe at IBX all the time?

Two reasons below.

> Surely if IBO is as good
> as Jason keeps proclaiming he should be confident enough to let us
> developers decide?

The developers do decide. You are connecting two things here which for me
are separate issues.

The reason I carp about IBX is because of a couple of reasons. I'll frankly
state them.

First of all, (I'm ashamed to admit) relations with some former InterBase
managers & staff about 3 or 4 years ago went sour when I refused to give up
IBO for nothing and was more or less lied to and then subsequently had my
class names stolen from me with absolutely no regard despite notice of their
encroachment well in advance of public release of their components. I've
been treated pretty badly by Borland in the past and I've struggled to
overcome this but so far am not man enough to accomplish it 100%. At some
point in time I hope to overcome this personal problem because regardless of
what happened then I need to get over it. For the most part I think I have.
I don't hold myself faultless either.

Secondly, what you call carping about IBX are aspects of it I have carefully
examined and determined to be a true technical deficiency or something
potentially dangerous to unsuspecting users. Things that will be serious
problems for them unless they are informed about it. I believe everything I
have said about IBX to be something of significant value and I do not
contrive or try to make up bad things to say about it just for the effect.
In fact, because of my wounds mentioned above, I am generally more careful
what I say on technical issues just because I want to make sure I am
technically accurate and not crying over spilled milk. I think what I say on
a technical level would be more helpful if I could alter the tone of my
comments, but the technical value should remain independent of that. I'm
making a conscious effort to do better.

John Kaster and I had dinner one time in Houston and he chuckled as he said,
"We like what you do because it adds to our list of things to make IBX a
better product." The bottom line here is that I started IBO 5 years ago with
a burning passion to get InterBase on the map. I am a perfectionist and I'm
very particular about what goes on in the InterBase realm. I'm as ruthless
with deficiencies in my own product as I am with any deficiencies that turn
up in IBX. I believe what I do helps IBX along. My comment back to John
Kaster over that dinner conversation was, "What is good for InterBase in
general is good for me."

However, I think there is a certain amount of jealousy and selfishness on my
part. Why? It's a bit aggravating that I have spent well over 10,000
man-hours of my time, coupled with thousands of man-hours of other people's
time, with excruciating attention to detail to make some pretty awesome
components and then when I try to enter into any Borland newsgroups to toot
my horn about it I meet up with bitter finger pointers telling me in so many
words I'm just going for greedy profit, I'm a Borland hater, etc. when
really what I have wanted most was for people to love working with InterBase
and to get as excited about it as I am. I am a bit egotistical in my mindset
too. I hope that some of the very difficult things I have worked out will be
enjoyed by as many people as possible. In short, my excitement and passion
for this stuff is really hard to convey without the egotistical element
coming into play. I think its easier for me to admit to it than eliminate
it. I'll still try to do better.

> Jeff on the other hand, very maturely never needs to make a comment about

IBO.

Why should he? IBX comes in the box and everyone gives it a try. I'm not
that fortunate and have to struggle to get people to even provide a glance
at IBO. When you have the upper hand there is a lot you don't have to do. I
really wish I could get more critical comments about my product from him. I
have considered this type of feedback the lifeblood of my product. I welcome
it because this is what has made it so great.

Also, I have said this before and I'll say it again, Jeff is a commendable
person. Were it not for him, IBX would have been abandoned or at best sorely
neglected. I'm not aware of anyone else on the InterBase team who could step
in since those previously on it walked away from InterBase in its dire hour.
The death of IBX then would have been the death of the "native InterBase
connectivity niche". But, because IBX lives on so does the growth of the
mindset and option to use native InterBase connectivity, thus I
synergistically continue to have growth in my market for which I have Jeff
to thank. I hope I have not said anything about Jeff which demeans his
character or public rapport. He doesn't deserve that. Nor is that an
appropriate thing to do to anyone in a newsgroup.

My current gripe is, why am I cast as an adversary when I point out IBX's
technical deficiencies and try to promote those things about IBO which are
really great? Borland makes money via Delphi and InterBase licensing, not
IBX licensing. I should think there ought to be a lot of appreciation for my
painstaking efforts to raise the options people have with Borland's
breadwinning requirements. I enhance their bottom line in doing this, not
diminish it. I know of a significant number of people who said if it were
not for IBO they would have given up on Borland products all together and
took up other products, which assuredly are out there and gaining on us in
quality.

This is merely my take on things in as plain and honest of a tone as I can
relate. You seem to have a rather negative opinion of me and I don't expect
that will change, nor am I trying to change it. I just hope you understand a
little better why you see from me the things that you do. I believe we all
need to exercise more restraint in the nature and tone of our comments
towards one another.

Regards,
Jason Wharton
CPS - Mesa AZ
http://www.ibobjects.com