Re: Re. Misleading ad for HotMetal?

Subject: Re: Re. Misleading ad for HotMetal?
From: Phil Block <pblock -at- EXECPC -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 18:09:42 -0500

On Wed, 10 Apr 1996 geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA wrote:

> Phil Block posted to warn us about a misleading ad for
> HotMetal software. It's certainly reasonable to take this
> as intentional vaporware, but it ain't necessarily so: most
> glossy magazines (and PC Mag for sure) go to the printer
> 3-4 months before they appear on the newstand. Moreover,
> ads sometimes gets bumped into subsequent issues or moved
> to an earlier issue due to production problems. If the ad's
> in an April issue, with actual availability in May, that's
> not an unreasonable slip.

> OTOH, it could certainly be a case of pre-emptive marketing
> (to steal sales from the competition) too. No way to know.

> --Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
> Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.


To anyone interested in this dilemma,

I forgot to mention in my original post that I talked to a SoftQuad CSR,
and she said that they ran the ad to generate demand for the upgrade.
Their intent appears to be to build up a backlog of orders that they can
fill as soon as the software is released. I assume they would have
eagerly taken my order (and charged my credit card) _now_. I said thanks
but no thanks, I'd call back when the product was actually available.

Hope this helps clarify the issue a little.

Phil Block


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