It's the Marketing, Stupid!

[Guest.Visitor]

It's the Marketing, Stupid!

I would like to share a piece of a User Group's monthly newsletter I received. I have edited out certain things mentioned in this excerpt, the reason for which will become evident later.

With the release of:::: scheduled for "late this spring", it's reasonable to wonder when the::: marketing will begin. Isn't it customary to initiate a marketing campaign in advance of a significant new release? :::: started marketing:::: almost a year ago, and it's not even scheduled to ship for months.:::: is more than ready to sell, but isn't it overdue for some marketing?

Why the sudden concern about marketing, or lack thereof, when::: has survived without it for all these years? The main problem is that chronic neglect has taken its toll on the::: job market, not just in absolute numbers, but relative to just about every other segment of programming. With the recent downturn in the economy, the::: job market has nothing left to surrender. To make matters worse, ::::'s announcement of its intention to remove::: from:::: has reinforced the general public's doubts about the future of :::. In the absence of any positive spin from:::: on this piece of news, the::: community faces a public relations disaster. If you've enjoyed making a living from your hard-earned:::: programming skills, you have plenty of reason to be concerned.

Heard this all before? Was this a letter about IBM and RPG? Nope, it's about Visual FoxPro and Microsoft.

Bill

[David Abramowitz]

It's the Marketing, Stupid!

Sue Behrens wrote: Dallas is still a LOT cheaper to live in than either NYC or Long Island The cost of housing is relative from one part of the U.S. to another, but that appears to be it!! Is the cost of a loaf of bread any less from NYC to Dubuque? Can you by a Chevy cheaper in Chicago than you can in Kansas City? Would you rather purchase a toaster in Toledo, or Tupelo? How about a Big Mac, or a quart of Orange Juice? IMO, all things considered, the cost of living is just about the same wherever you go. Salaries and rates on the other hand can vary widely. This is why I have remained in the Northeast even though I would prefer a warmer climate. Dave