I would rather buy from Kadafi but he has no compilers.

[Paul Breen]

I was not intending to buy the upgrade due to the unpleasent experience I had buying the last version. Despite the peevish, truculent and obstreperous attitude of Bob Zale, Tim (sales manager), and the gang at PowerBasic they do have compelling products if you want to program in Windows and Basic. Some time ago I ordered the manual for pb9 online. Later, I tried to download the bugfix number two or three  of the five they eventually kluged onto version nine but there was a problem with the download due to my address change, so I had to call them on the phone. During our conversation I called the bugfix a bugfix and the guy at powerbasic came unglued, insisting that I call it a free upgrade and not a bugfix. I asked what new features this download had that did not involve bugfixes and that was when I discovered that he was bipolar. He was literally yelling in the phone that I had no right to the download because it was a free upgrade and not a bugfix. I asked him why I could order a forty dollar book with the wrong zip code but I can't get a simple bugfix downloaded with the same zip code and he said I could talk to his manager.  I declined the invitation because I was finished downloading the bugfix during our conversation. In a fit of spite, the powerbasic worker canceled my online order for the manual without my permission after we hung up. 
    I resolved not to deal with those people again because since my experience with wordstar and cp/m operating system I have never dealt with such exasperating and antagonistic people in the software business. Microsoft, Embarcadero, JetBrains, Help and Manual, and any number of modern software companies that I have purchased compilers from with modern IDEs are so much easier to deal with. The bugfixes are merged in the download and you don't have to run five installers (seven if using pbforms) to get one compiler running. You just click on a link or "check for upgrade" and you are done, budda-bing-budda-boom. They appear to be much larger and more successful than Powerbasic.  Additionally, they are not rude on the phone and they act like you are a customer instead of a potential software pirate. I really wish I had picked up on turbo Pascal instead of Basic back in the day.

Having said that, this looks like a pretty neat upgrade and I am tempted . . .

[Theo Gottwald]

Paul, the people at PB are very proud of their products. Talking in a respectless way to people who are proud of what they make, can also on other place lead to unwanted experiences.

But here is good news. No need to get married to the PB staff (also i imagine they are already married).

Just look at the compiler and realize that its a solid artwork.

If you need a good win32 compiler just go and get it. If you need good friends to talk to, add me and others on facebook.

Also there are new features in the PowerPacks, for example we got the "ISFOLDER" with the PB 9 PP and this time (10.02) we got faster compilation of the DWORD Datatype.

[José Roca]

 
It takes two to tango. Call it update and everybody happy.

[Bob Zale]

Paul...Paul...Paul...

You certainly have a very vivid imagination.  It's just a shame you seem to have little regard for the accuracy of your allegations.  You can purchase a printed book any time you wish to do so.  Just place a valid order at www.powerbasic.com/shop and PowerBASIC will fulfill it.  In fact, the book you seem to describe is currently offered at a discount of more than 50%!  Right now, that book is just $19.  If you believe you placed a completed order, but the product never arrived, I'm surprised you didn't send a simple email saying "Where's my book?".  It could have been resolved in 5 minutes.  But I guess that isn't nearly as much fun, is it?

A quick look around will show that Mr. Breen has been spouting these things for years, yet he continues to purchase our products.  I think it's obvious he thinks they offer very high quality performance.  If a person calls us with an adversarial attitude, every PowerBASIC employee knows he has no obligation to listen to it.  I would never ask any employee to endure it just to complete a small sale.  We owe every customer normal business respect.  But, we expect the same in return.

Regards,

Bob Zale, President
PowerBASIC Inc.

[Christopher Boss]

While PB updates do have bug fixes in them, they also have improvements (ie. speed improvements) as well, so it makes sense to refer to them as updates, rather than simply a bug fix.

Also I follow the beta testing (I am on the beta test list) and some issues IMO are not something PB could have anticipated, so the "fixes" may simply be dealing with an issue only a select number of users may even have come across. The more features you have, the more possibilities you have for coding in different ways and I doubt even Powerbasic can anticipate all those possibilities.

I too offer "updates" to customers after the release of a new version and I refer to them as updates (or service packs). Updates contain bug fixes, but also improvements (even sometimes new features). It would not be fair to simply refer to them as "bug fixes".

[Jim Padgett]

Call it what ever you want...

I get software that has more time invested in it with enhancements to go along with an application that has been made to work just like the docs say... even though it would be easier to just change the docs.. 

[Brice Manuel]

I really wish I had picked up on turbo Pascal instead of Basic back in the day.

If you had, your TP software from back in the day may not work properly now because of bugs in TP that were never addressed.  Unlike my TP software from back then, my PB software not only still runs fine, it also now works on Linux and OS X thanks to DOSBox.

As to the rest of your comments, I have had my trouble with the staff at PB and I am willing to claim 70% of the blame.  Whether your story is true, I don't know and could care less.  I have no idea what upgrade you are referring to, but if you are getting an upgrade for free, don't complain, say thank you like your Ma taught you and move on.  In the real world, updates are usually free and upgrades cost $$.  Although the saying used to be "an upgrade is an update you release when you need money", this really isn't true, especially for programming languages.  Programming languages that give free upgrades usually die a slow and miserable death because the product can no longer support itself and the developer(s) have to have another job to live off of and product upgrades become fewer and farther between (the "other" PB is a prime example).  Or there is the other alternative where the developer creates a new language since the old product is all but dead (lots of gaming languages fall into this category).

If you don't like PB, the staff, they way you are treated, what Bob named his cat, etc., simply don't buy from them in the future.  It really is that simple.  There is plenty of competition out there.  Whether that competition is better or worse is for each individual to decide for themselves.


Bob, since you are reading this thread, I still have a support question sent via email back around December that has gone unanswered and concerned something Jim Dunn and I were discussing at the time, I am sure it got "lost" in the fray, but is there a chance I could get an answer back via email?

[Bob Zale]

Brice --

I haven't the foggiest notion which email you may be referencing from eight months ago.  If you have a tech support question, please email it to support@powerbasic.com  Back then, you had many different email addresses, which changed every week or so.  I'm not surprised their response didn't get through to you.  They'll be happy to resend it if you simply ask them.

Best regards,

Bob Zale

[Brice Manuel]

Actually, you are right.  I just looked and that email was sent prior to 12-11-10 when I consolidated everything down to on email account.  My apologies.