Friday, April 23, 2004
Between 1984 and 1996 I worked for Alpha Software Corp working on their family of end user database products, Alpha Three, Alpha Four and Alpha Five*. It was a small company so I got to see all aspects of its operation. This included getting to read some of the letters users would send into the company. I was looking through my files today and found the following letter I had saved from a gentleman who wrote us in 1991 concerning his love of Alpha Four.
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Dear Alpha Four Software Co. I am using your "Alpha Four" program almost a year, since you promoted me to buy it for a (now I see) price less $ 99 I have always wondered how in haven, could you do such a program, I am no a programmer, and you gave me the ability to program my one programs, and in such a beautiful way. Its is only now, that I discovered the meaning of the application's. What should I tell you. I am so amazed from the power of the application, that I have played with it "The All Night Long". I have designed a vary complicated post with one key stroke. I am wondering now more than ever, is it a one man idea, or is it a team of 1000. Do you have a computer thinking for you, how to figure everything in such a way, and in so many options. As more as I use it, more I realize that I haven't even touch a part of it's capabilities, it is so amazing, that I am blocked out, I just have no word's to describe it. Do you. Yourself, have an idea what product you have created. By the end. I don't see in the book any limit of the macro memory, how much (word's) or function's can you put in, in a macro memory. Sincerely yours ********I saved this originally because of some of the funny word choices and phrases. But now it's more than that. It's a picture back to a time when I was a lot more connected with the folks who use the software I write. It's cool I was able to make this guy so happy.
To answer his question about the size of the team, it was pretty small. I don't recall the exact number of developers who worked on Alpha Four but not many more than 4. It started out with just 2 of us but we grew as the project went along.
*While the products are great, they were never known for their catchy names.
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