Date   : Wed, 18 Jan 1984 07:14:34-PST (Wed)
From   : hplabs!hao!seismo!rlgvax!plunkett@ucb-vax
Subject: Demise of JRT Pascal

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JRT Systems, makers of the $29.95 JRT Pascal compiler, have filed Ch. 11
Bankruptcy.  For some time I have been reading various letters-to-editors
complaining that JRT was slow to respond to orders, if at all.  Other
complaints, most notably from J. Pournelle of Byte, mentioned that
JRT Pascal was not Standard, and that it was a shoddy piece of work,
viz., easily crashable.  Yet "a bargain at $29.95".

The pricing seems to have been its undoing.  JRT was flooded with orders
it could not handle, the revenue received is now shown to have been
insufficient to support the software firm, yet almost everywhere I
read reviews commending Mr. Tyson for the courage of pricing it at
$29.95; that it was a "steal" for the Pascal programmer.  It strikes
me as a foolish act of irresponsibility to price a compiler so low,
and somewhat negligent on the part of reviewers to be seduced by the
mere $29.95.  (One exception was Dr. Dobbs that rightly said it was
*not* a bargain regardless of price.)

If the reports of JRT developing a Modula-2 compiler are true, I hope
that they will invest alot more effort into the product, price it
accordingly, and price it to support their company in maintaining and
improving it.  And in filling orders promptly.

JRT has committed a disservice to the software industry with their
JRT Pascal.

Scott Plunkett
..seismo!rlgvax!plunkett