Bringing up baby

Vista Software's Loren Scott is reunited with the Apollo products that he helped design.

Developing a software product is a little like having a child.  First there is the conception -- that wonderful moment when thought and action come together to form the essence of what is to be. Then the product is born, a baby entering the world for the first time. The developer, like the parent, watches with pride as his progeny  undergoes a series of changes over the years, growing and developing into newer, enhanced versions.

Loren Scott, president and CEO of newly-formed Vista Software, has experienced those feelings of pride for a product he created, only to come to believe that it was being neglected by its adoptive parents. Scott was recently reunited with his baby and is doing his best to make sure it's brought up right.

Scott and his partner, Vista's vice president and COO, Anthony Carrabino, will demonstrate Apollo 5.0 at the Delphi Developers of Dallas/Borland Conference this Saturday. It will be the first time the final version of the latest Apollo release has been shown since Vista Software took over the Apollo products from Luxent Development Corporation on July 1.

For Scott, the acquisition of Apollo -- a replaceable database engine for Borland Delphi and C++Builder -- equates to bringing his child back into his warm, loving embrace. Scott was lead developer in charge of Apollo's design during his six years at Luxent (formed when SuccessWare merged with Paris-based DFL Software in 1997). After the merger, Scott says, Luxent's primary focus shifted from the database engine market to graphics and Internet-related product lines, leaving Apollo in the lurch. "The company began to de-emphasize Delphi, and Windows in general. Products I had helped develop were getting neglected," said Scott. "Apollo was my baby, so it was sad seeing it get neglected like that."

Scott left Luxent in early 1998. He did some consulting work for a year, during which he did bug fixes for Apollo on a part-time basis. Scott recognized, however, that Apollo deserved more. "It's a complex product that requires full-time attention, not part-time," he said. Luxent had scaled back its tech support for Apollo, Scott says, and that led to user frustration. "It was being battered as a buggy piece of crap," Scott said.

Carrabino was working as product manager for San Diego-based Marotz Inc. when he and Scott -- who had often crossed paths professionally -- decided to open their own business to assist developers "who just want to code," said Scott. "Our initial goal was to assist developers who have good product ideas but don't know how to bring them to market," he said.

Shortly after forming Vista Software in April, Scott's former supervisor from Luxent approached him about taking over Apollo. Luxent had begun to focus entirely on developing products for e-commerce on the Internet through its e-BIZweb division and was "unloading Apollo and everything else to the best buyer," Scott said. An agreement was reached and Vista took Apollo over on July 1. Just 16 days later, Vista demoed the beta release of Apollo 5.0 at BorCon in Philadelphia.

Getting the word out that Apollo is back in the hands of its developer has been one of Scott's top priorities. "I was lead developer, so I have the most intimate knowledge of it from birth. As complex as it is, as difficult as it is to maintain its stability, it's my baby and I want to see it succeed," he said.

Users are now warming up to Apollo 5.0 because of Vista's attention to both the quality of the product and, just as importantly, to customer service, according to Scott. "So far, the response we have seen from our users has been overwhelmingly supportive. The users were glad that we were the ones who took the product over because we know it best," Scott said. " People who swore they would never touch Apollo again have come back to it because of Vista Software's commitment to (the product). We are once again able to give Apollo and its users the attention they deserve."

Scott said that Vista Software's mission is to put as much emphasis on customer service as there is on product. As part of that philosophy, Vista's policy is that no customer will pay for a bug fix on any of their products. The company has put out a free maintenance update for Apollo 4.0 that fixes bugs in that software and, although version 5.0 has been released, Vista still maintains its 4.6 edition with a free maintenance update. "Upgrading to the latest version isn't the only solution to getting fixes. A user should upgrade because he wants the enhancements and improvements of a the newer version," said Scott.

In addition to the final release of Apollo 5.0, Vista Software will also be showing the beta release of its Apollo Client/Server at Saturday's 3D/BC. Don't be surprised if you see Loren Scott strutting around, showing off his  babies, as any proud father would.

A clarification from Loren Scott -- 3 October 1999

Thanks much for the nice story regarding Vista Software and Apollo. Two fairly critical errors should be noted as soon as possible.

First, Vista Software has not "acquired" the products from SuccessWare/Luxent. SuccessWare still owns them; we pay them royalties. Legally, we cannot use the word "acquired" or "acquisition" -- I am sorry if I did not make that clear during our interview.

Second, while I did end my term at Luxent as product manager and lead developer of Apollo, I was not the lead developer or designer during the early years of the product's life. Several other developers were involved before me -- Terry Orletsky, Doug Amaral, and Ceci Smith.