Interesting, I have an SGI and I have never received the 1.9 version and
I also pay for software maintenance.
Bruce Pienkoski
Watervliet Arsenal
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ralott@CCGATE.HAC.COM [SMTP:ralott@CCGATE.HAC.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 1998 1:54 PM
> To: rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi
> Subject: A consumer's complaint -- My rant against 3D Systems
>
> My apologies to those of you who may think this is a personal
> grudge,
> but 3D Systems' lack of response compels me to inform the RP
> community
> of the problems I've had with 3D regarding software support for
> HP
> users.
>
> I have been using 3D Systems products since 1984 and have seen a
> lot
> of the good things that the company is capable of doing, which is
> why
> I am baffled by their lack of support for Maestro on the HP
> platform.
>
> I am still using version 1.7 software, despite version 1.9 having
> been
> released 5 months ago for the SGI platform. This is because
> there is
> no version 1.9 for HP, nor was there a version 1.8.
>
> Worse, version 1.7 has a bug in it (reported soon after receipt
> of the
> software) that has yet to be fixed with even a patch. This bug
> requires that about 80 percent of the .prm files be edited,
> otherwise
> the part is built on just 2 dimensions. I've been working around
>
> their problem for over two years now.
>
> Even though 3D has not fixed this bug and has not updated the
> software
> in well over two years, they continue to charge over $2,000
> annually
> for software maintenance.
>
> I have been on the phone with 3D countless times without success.
> The
> usual response is that a new release for HP "will be shipped in a
> few
> weeks" -- and I have been hearing this since last October.
>
> I'm told that there are only about 3 other HP users of Maestro,
> but 3D
> never warned me that their support would depend upon the number
> of
> units sold.
>
> As a last resort to get 3D to act, I'm posting this message with
> the
> knowledge that 3D's people subscribe to the list -- as well as
> over a
> thousand RP users and managers, many of whom make purchasing
> decisions.
>
>
>
> Rick Lott
> Hughes Space and Communications
> Los Angeles, Calif.
>
>
> For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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