Free Dolphin 2.1 Bites Dust

Back in the days when the web was young, there were all sorts of companies
offering free items that would always be available or endure a lifetime.
How often these services have disappeared.  One such service I wrote in
response to their request for money, if they can't be trusted to keep their
original agreement, why would I want to do business with them?

Now Dolphin 2.1 which was said to be available perpetually as an educational
version has been taken off the download page.  It was available until today.
Sad to see it go.

I have two XP licenses but the free version was always good when recruiting
new remote employees so they could decide if they wanted to switch to
Smalltalk without any license concerns.  Then if they decided against
working for me, they'd still have a working Smalltalk to educate themselves
in if they ever clicked the icon again.   Now they just get one shot lasting
30 days which is enough for successful business arrangements but not so good
for latent education.

Kirk Fraser

Kirk,

> Back in the days when the web was young, there were all sorts of companies
> offering free items that would always be available or endure a lifetime.
> How often these services have disappeared.  One such service I wrote in
> response to their request for money, if they can't be trusted to keep
their
> original agreement, why would I want to do business with them?
>
> Now Dolphin 2.1 which was said to be available perpetually as an
educational
> version has been taken off the download page.  It was available until
today.
> Sad to see it go.
>
> I have two XP licenses but the free version was always good when
recruiting
> new remote employees so they could decide if they wanted to switch to
> Smalltalk without any license concerns.  Then if they decided against
> working for me, they'd still have a working Smalltalk to educate
themselves
> in if they ever clicked the icon again.   Now they just get one shot
lasting
> 30 days which is enough for successful business arrangements but not so
good
> for latent education.

Yes, Dolphin 2.1 has gone. The main reason for this is that a version from
1998 had become a poor advertisement for what Dolphin is today. Recently we
have had a number of e-mail comments from people trying 2.1 for the first
time and they have remarked on the disparity between what was available in
2.1 and what was shown in the Education Centre and in Ted Bracht's book. One
user wrote:

"Thanks for a totally crappy experience. If this is how u welcome newcomers,
u have no future."

When told that 2.1 what not representative of what we have in our current
products and we were considering removing it, the same author wrote:

"U took the words out of my mouth: This isnt a very good advertisement for
Dolphin. Seems a shame, I hope u will fix it. I've received several
responses from u, each appears as if someone who gives a damn is answering.
Dont shoot yourself in the foot like this."

This is by no means the only example where the free version has discouraged
further Dolphin use. Originally we had intended that D2.1 would be used in
education where cost is a very important (perhaps the only) consideration.
However, with the availablity of Squeak and, of course, VisualWorks
Non-Commercial to carry the free Smalltalk flag, the need for its existence
is, in our opinion minimal. I'm afraid we cannot afford to offer something
for free that reflects badly on our current commercial products. Now it may
be that, at some point in the future, another (more recent) version of
Dolphin will be offered for free. As of today we have no plans when this
might be.

BTW, I'm not sure that we ever did guarantee to offer a free version of
Dolphin in perpetuity.

Best Regards,

Andy Bower
Dolphin Support
http://www.object-arts.com
---
Are you trying too hard?
http://www.object-arts.com/Relax.htm
---

"Kirk W. Fraser" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:VrD%9.31731$A%[hidden email]...
...
> Now Dolphin 2.1 which was said to be available perpetually as an
educational
> version has been taken off the download page.  It was available until
today.
> Sad to see it go.
...

First of all my question for OA is what is the official status of version
2.1?  I did not see any announcement.  Has the website been reorganized or
is it really being withdrawn?

While I don't believe OA has any official obligation to continue offering
version 2.1 for free, I am a bit sad to see it go.  I found that version 2.1
was a good way to get non-Smalltalk people interested in Smalltalk.  My
company has been working with high school interns and teaching them
Smalltalk.  One of the first tasks I assign them is to make a simple
statistics class.  I get them started, and then point them to Dolphin 2.1 on
the web and let them continue the exercise at home.  One of our interns
liked Dolphin so much that he purchased a copy of the latest version for
himself and even did an independent study project using it.

There will always be people who want free software.  I don't think the
discontinuance of version 2.1 will encourage them to purchase Dolphin 5.x.
There are other free Smalltalks out there, they will just use them.  However
that means they are less likely to ever be exposed to Dolphin Smalltalk.  If
someone new to Smalltalk developed a project in Dolphin 2.1 and wanted to
deploy it they would have to purchase the latest version of Dolphin, now
they will not even have that chance.  I can't imagine anyone wanting to use
version 2.1 if they could afford to buy version 5.x.

I am not privy to a lot of information that OA is.  I can only assume they
have taken this action for good reason.

Chris

Just for a counter view, last week i downloaded 2.1 so that i could learn
the language and the basics of the class library. Looks like i just made it.

It seemed obvious to me that v5 would be much better (which i also
downloaded so as to compare) - but i had access to a nice simple
enviornement to play in. If i ever decide to pay to use ST then Dolphin is
my first choice - probably because of 2.1



"Andy Bower" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:3e3f1642$[hidden email]...
> Kirk,
>
> > Back in the days when the web was young, there were all sorts of
companies we
> have had a number of e-mail comments from people trying 2.1 for the first
> time and they have remarked on the disparity between what was available in
> 2.1 and what was shown in the Education Centre and in Ted Bracht's book.
One
> user wrote:
>
> "Thanks for a totally crappy experience. If this is how u welcome
newcomers,
> u have no future."
>
> When told that 2.1 what not representative of what we have in our current
> products and we were considering removing it, the same author wrote:
>
> "U took the words out of my mouth: This isnt a very good advertisement for
> Dolphin. Seems a shame, I hope u will fix it. I've received several
> responses from u, each appears as if someone who gives a damn is
answering.
> Dont shoot yourself in the foot like this."
>
> This is by no means the only example where the free version has
discouraged
> further Dolphin use. Originally we had intended that D2.1 would be used in
> education where cost is a very important (perhaps the only) consideration.
> However, with the availablity of Squeak and, of course, VisualWorks
> Non-Commercial to carry the free Smalltalk flag, the need for its
existence
> is, in our opinion minimal. I'm afraid we cannot afford to offer something
> for free that reflects badly on our current commercial products. Now it
may

Dear Andy,
Dear Dolphin comunity,
list,

    Andy, with all the respect, I do not think that one opinion must
inffluence you like that.

    I'll send to you an e-mail to clarify why.

obrigado,
gracias,
thank you,

Seb


"Andy Bower" <[hidden email]> escribió en el mensaje
news:3e3f1642$[hidden email]...
> Kirk,
>
> > Back in the days when the web was young, there were all sorts of
companies we
> have had a number of e-mail comments from people trying 2.1 for the first
> time and they have remarked on the disparity between what was available in
> 2.1 and what was shown in the Education Centre and in Ted Bracht's book.
One
> user wrote:
>
> "Thanks for a totally crappy experience. If this is how u welcome
newcomers,
> u have no future."
>
> When told that 2.1 what not representative of what we have in our current
> products and we were considering removing it, the same author wrote:
>
> "U took the words out of my mouth: This isnt a very good advertisement for
> Dolphin. Seems a shame, I hope u will fix it. I've received several
> responses from u, each appears as if someone who gives a damn is
answering.
> Dont shoot yourself in the foot like this."
>
> This is by no means the only example where the free version has
discouraged
> further Dolphin use. Originally we had intended that D2.1 would be used in
> education where cost is a very important (perhaps the only) consideration.
> However, with the availablity of Squeak and, of course, VisualWorks
> Non-Commercial to carry the free Smalltalk flag, the need for its
existence
> is, in our opinion minimal. I'm afraid we cannot afford to offer something
> for free that reflects badly on our current commercial products. Now it
may

Dear Andy,
OA team,
Dolphin comunity,

     I do think that to just take out a tool to replace it with nothing is
an  controversial desicion. That will be a change for wrong. This is not a
perfect world, so DST 2.1 for free is better than nothing. I respect, but do
not care about opinios of people who doesn't want to use dolphin anyway.

    DST 2.1 is tool that is useful to give a different taste to developers,
even who is starting or searching for new experiences (self learners) and
students, who don't want to conform themselves with all that procedural
tecnology arround there.

    Share with your team this customer's thought: It could happend, that
just in the rutinary daily work, a cofused mind, just confused you too.

    Your technology is getting popular, and that brings to you more
stimulus, the good ones and bad ones.

    I think that you may keep your focus in the good ones and in the
'constructive citicism' ones. And give time to the others. Don't waste your
time trying to persuade none.

    I'm just at the begining of my entrepreneur experience, and I do choose
your technology because you are getting more professional (so your main
product DST) with the pass of time. If I need to divide work with someone
I'll need to show or educate him/her in DST in some way, and DST2.1 had that
role. So take more carfully this matter because it affects you and your
customers even more that you could perceive at first view.

    Put it online again, it would hurt nobody, and you'll keep your image as
good as ever to who really values it.

best wishes,
racionality and discernment,

Sebastian Sastre

Sebastian,

>      I do think that to just take out a tool to replace it with nothing is
> an  controversial desicion. That will be a change for wrong. This is not a
> perfect world, so DST 2.1 for free is better than nothing. I respect, but
do
> not care about opinios of people who doesn't want to use dolphin anyway.
>
>     DST 2.1 is tool that is useful to give a different taste to
developers, your
> time trying to persuade none.
>
>     I'm just at the begining of my entrepreneur experience, and I do
choose
> your technology because you are getting more professional (so your main
> product DST) with the pass of time. If I need to divide work with someone
> I'll need to show or educate him/her in DST in some way, and DST2.1 had
that
> role. So take more carfully this matter because it affects you and your
> customers even more that you could perceive at first view.
>
>     Put it online again, it would hurt nobody, and you'll keep your image
as
> good as ever to who really values it.

We appreciate your interest and enthusiam but Dolphin 2.1 will not return.
As I said previously, there may be another free version of Dolphin at some
point in the future (most likely after the release of Dolphin 6 later in the
year).

Best Regards,

Andy Bower
Dolphin Support
http://www.object-arts.com
---
Are you trying too hard?
http://www.object-arts.com/Relax.htm
---