Here’s a recent statement from SirsiDynix…
“The Horizon 7.4.1 and HIP 3.09/4.13 releases are clear evidence that SirsiDynix remains committed to the Horizon platform,” said Gary Rautenstrauch, SirsiDynix CEO. “While SirsiDynix Symphony is our flagship platform for the future, SirsiDynix will continue to upgrade the Horizon platform for the next four to six years. “This commitment to our worldwide customer base is important to us, and we will keep it,” said Rautenstrauch.
(original PDF dated 11/Jan/2008)
…and here’s one that’s just been sent to all UK customers…
You may be aware that there has been a recent announcement about the general availability of Horizon 7.4.1 and HIP 3.09. SirsiDynix International has seriously considered the option of taking this release and including the various localizations into it. However, at this time we have decided that we cannot commit to the amount of work necessary on an International basis.
Clearly the commitment to the non-US customer base is important to the company, but just not that important.
Come on SirsiDynix, please try and do something to prove Scribe wasn’t right!
That January 2008 message is particularly weird given that we were told Horizon 7.4.1 wouldn’t be released internationally at the user group meeting in December 2007!
(as a Unicorn customer I’m not directly affected, but am concerned by this bad treatement of the user base…)
What’s particularly annoying is that second statement seems to imply that the localizations required a huge amount of time, effort and money on the part of the company. My personal recollection is that it used to take one person about a month to do (which would be followed by a few weeks of customer beta testing).
At the December user group meeting, I don’t think the company had released details of what 7.4.1 would include. Now I’ve seen the release notes, it’s definitely an upgrade we would have wanted (if only for the important security patches to the OPAC and the Vista support).
I know Gary Rautenstrauch has been invited to the upcoming User Group Conference in Southampton, so hopefully he’ll be able to clear up exactly what the commitment to the non-US Horizon customer base actually is.
Spot the difference, um, you live on the wrong side of the pond? Simply not true, Dave, we all know you live on the right side of the pond. SirsiDynix lives on the wrong side :_)
Gary Rautenstrauch is a closer who was brought in by Vista Equity Partners to administer the stripping of SIRSIDynix and to sell the pieces to the next bidder. That’s what he did in his last job. VEP’s “commitment” to the market is zero. SD don’t get an option. Most of the suits you will see are puppets. And BTW the number of suits is shrinking as more ships leave the sinking rat.