"A message from WestCode's president...
January 6, 1999
Dear OneClickers,
For most WestCode customers, the question of the day is a simple one. When will OneClick be made fully compatible with MacOS 8.5 and later? I will answer this and other questions about OneClick’s development and future in this message to the WestCode Announce mailing list. If you own a different WestCode product, please excuse this extra e-mail.
First and foremost, let me reassure everyone that we have made significant progress in the development of the OneClick update. I know that many of you are very frustrated that the update was not completed shortly after MacOS 8.5 was released. We are sorry about this and I will take a quick moment to explain what has happened.
Certain significant changes in 8.5 created difficult, but not insurmountable problems, mainly involving how windows and layers are handled by the operating system. As of early December, we have fixed the tough issues and we are now working to wrap up the loose ends.
Beyond the technical issues, the delay was caused by other factors including the size and makeup of our development team. We are expanding our programming team right now, not only to wrap up those loose ends, but also to pave the way for the next major release of OneClick.
By the way, some have expressed concern that other products developed and released by WestCode may have contributed to the delay; however, these products were produced by different authors not involved or familiar with the OneClick programming work.
Now for the news many of you have been waiting to hear: Our estimated date for the update's release is roughly the end of January to early February. Predicting delivery dates during this phase of development and testing can be difficult, so please understand that this date may change somewhat in either direction. I feel confident that we are getting close, and we will keep you better posted on our progress.
And some exciting news: Beyond 8.5 compatibility, this update will include other enhancements, fixes, and features that have been waiting in the wings for some time as part of what was internally known as “version 1.5.” The complete details of this exciting new version will soon be announced.
Unfortunately, we have decided that there must be a nominal charge for this update. Through the years, WestCode has offered several free OneClick updates and numerous free OC add-ons. However, for OneClick to remain a strong competitive product, we feel that we must begin charging for updates to help pay for increased development costs. The update pricing and ordering information will be posted shortly before the update ships. (Recent purchases after September 17, 1998 will receive a free update.)
We look forward to 1999 with renewed focus and commitment to OneClick. You will see some cool enhancements and another major update to OneClick before the year ends. We also have plans for several new utilities that continue to fulfill our desire to "improve the way the world uses Macintosh."
Thank you again for your patience during this development cycle. Your faith is a sign of the true spirit of the OneClick user community.
If you have any comments or concerns, please drop me a note.
Best Wishes for the New Year,
Rob Renstrom
President, WestCode Software"
WestCode is certainly making a wise choice to include feature enhancements with the update as that will make it more palatable to some.
The ironic thing is that so many users have come to expect free upgrades so often. Development does cost money and there is a fine line to walk on when to charge and when not to charge. We would be happy to see WestCode's feature improvements make the price worthwhile.