NEWSLETTER
28 December 1994
Dear Jewellery Shopkeeper User,
Some of you, who have found little need for support or help over the past year, start to think that the I have been charging maintenance fees for nothing. A few of you have considered cancelling your support agreements and I feel bad about that because I believe that is not the correct thing to do. The problem is me. I have neglected to tell you about the work that I have been putting into The Jewellery Shopkeeper in order to keep it way ahead of anything else in the world for making your business more efficient and successful.
Now, at last, I am trying to put the record straight.
Attached you will find a "Notable Updates and Enhancements" list, with information from October 1991 through to December 1994, as well as a confidential "Technical Progress Report".
October 1991 was a significant date because VAT was introduced about that time, also, that was when I was forced by program size, to upgrade to a new compiler, "Clipper 5.01". For the next two years I was plagued with obscure and mysterious program crashes - only during the last 15 months have I been able to get on top of it, and only 6 months ago, with the compiler update to version 5.2d, has the mysterious problems stopped.
However, in spite of these difficulties and hundreds of hours spent fixing customer data (at no charge where maintenance agreements were current), I have been able to put effort into program enhancements. (See list alluded to above.)
In addition to all this, we have a new instruction/reference manual almost ready to go to press. This manual is fully indexed and includes all the new features. It will be supplied free of charge to users with fully paid maintenance agreements, as well as those who pay the upgrade charge quoted on the enclosed order form. (These upgrade charges are R570.00 per year, or part thereof, since the last update or since the last maintenance payment.) Copies of the manual may also be ordered separately at a charge of R114.00 each, (including 14% VAT).
If you have a current maintenance agreement, the update will be supplied free of charge. If your update disk is not enclosed with this letter, and an update order form is not enclosed, please check with me - there may be a problem with the maintenance agreement.
I hope the RDP (new government Reconstruction and Development Program) really starts generating a more vibrant economy in South Africa for the New Year so that 1995 will be a great year.
Kind regards,
Norman Perelson