Carl Sassenrath Quits, Flames VIScorp
Robin Hood
For any Amigan who may concern the sad story:
========================================================================
From: Carl Sassenrath <ca...@sassenrath.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: From Carl Sassenrath
Date: 13 Nov 1996 19:50:02 GMT
Organization: Pacific Internet
Lines: 99
Message-ID: <56d8pa$i...@north.pacific.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ts3-200.pacific.net
Dear Amigans,
Many of you have been wondering what's happening with VIScorp, the
Amiga, and why my name is no longer on the vistv web site.
I hope this is not too long-winded for you, but here is a brief summary
of my story:
1.I joined VIScorp about a year ago as a consultant to help them
create new system software for the Amiga. I believed at that time that
they had
the ability to take the Amiga into several new, huge markets around
the world. They made many promises to me in order to get me to join the
project.
2.In March 1996 VIScorp informed me that they planned to buy Amiga
Technologies. The reason was simple: for the vast quantities of Amigas
that they planned, it was cheaper to buy AT then to pay the royalty.
It seemed to me that this could work, if they could come up with the
money.
3.Over the months that followed, I made numerous suggestions to
VIScorp regarding what they needed to do to support and further improve
the
Amiga. I even proposed a business plan centered around the Amiga, as
it seemed to me that you CAN have an ALTERNATE computer for
people who don't want PCs. After all, what would our cars be like if
only one company produced them? The Amiga offered us a choice.
4.VIScorp never responded to my suggestions. Not once. In fact, they
kept me totally in the dark as to what they were doing and what progress
had been made on the AT deal. I never knew from day to day what was
going to happen next.
5.By August I was starting to tire of VIScorp and its unkept promises
to all of us. They were 110 days behind in paying me, and I was very
disappointed in the whole mess that they had brought on the Amiga
community, developers and dealers, and myself. It had become clear to me
that VIScorp was not competent. I took a couple weeks off and went
to Florida.
6.In September I tried to recruit RJ Mical to join the team. I put a
lot of energy into it, as RJ was skeptical of VIScorp. I finally
succeeded! Then,
VIScorp blew him off. RJ and I couldn't believe it. What were they
doing?
7.Finally, I decided to focus 100% on what they had originally hired
me for: to create a TV set-top Amiga. Perhaps if we could build a good
demo,
VIScorp could convince one of its investors to contribute extra
cash. By the end of September, Don, Steve, Jim, and I had finished a
dazzling
prototype of such an STB. In my opinion, it really showed off what
the Amiga could do as a STB. The software for it was entirely written by
Jim and I, because VIScorp had not been paying any of the other
contractors.
8.After delivering the prototype, I never heard a word back. VIScorp
was again far behind in payments. What were they doing? What had gone
wrong? What was next?
9.Whatever it was, I didn't want to be part of it any longer. I've
never seen such an idiotic, screwed-up, incompetent company (and I am
saying it
mildly). VIScorp was worse than Commodore, and I never thought that
was possible. I took my name off the web site, vowing not to be a part
of
this lunacy.
So what can I say? Please don't flame me for doing this. I refuse to be
part of such a sloppy situation, regardless of my love for the Amiga.
Over the
last 10 months I have heard from many of you, and have sent nearly 1500
personal email replies to you. All I can say is that I am sorry that I
could
not do more for you and our Amiga Computer.
I am unsure what the future holds for the Amiga. Perhaps VIScorp or some
other company will scrape together enough cash to make the AT
purchase. We can only hope.
As for my future, I am going to return to what I do best: operating
systems and languages. You have not heard the last from me. I can
imagine a
system much better than the Amiga.... now to create it. Truely, only
time will tell.
Stay in touch my friends.
Sincerely yours,
Carl Sassenrath
Ex-VIScorp OS Guy
ca...@sassenrath.com
Permission granted to copy and repost.