Re:

> I suggest that all suppliers of backup solutions provide restore only,
> operating specific versions of their software available for download on

I agree with the sentiment, but not some of the wording ...
or the implied concept behind it.

Yes, backup vendors should provide, free (and unencumbered, and immediately
downloadable and immediately usable) copies of a "restore only" program that
can read their current and old backup tapes.

(BTW, note those specific qualifications...a user should be able, at midnight
on a Saturday, go to the vendor's website, easily locate the program, download
it, and have it running within minutes ... with no human interaction.)


However, I dislike that "operating specific version" comment.

It isn't that that hard to write a program that properly supports multiple
versions of the operating system.  Indeed, most of our Tools (marketed by
Lund), run on anything from 1.2 to 6.5.  De-Frag/X runs on 3.0 through 6.5.
(We chose to start with 3.0 for it.)  HourGlass 2000 runs on 5.0 through 6.5.
(And we don't cheat by having multiple OS-specific programs that we select
from at startup time!)

In short, don't encourage vendors/programmers to produce OS-version-specific
programs!


Stan Sieler                                           [log in to unmask]
www.allegro.com/sieler/wanted/index.html          www.allegro.com/sieler