"Evaluation Hardware"

["Mark Harrison (Groups)" <mph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear all,

I have been put in the emarrassing position today of having received a
complaint about "the xAP group".

It would appear that some people have been approaching manufacturers /
distributors / other automators and asking for evaluation / loan samples
of products on the promise that they would write a xAP connector.

In some cases, this appears to have worked well. However, in other
cases, including the one I have been approached about, it has not - the
manufacturer has been left out of pocket, with no xAP connector
available some good time later.

Having done some digging to try to unearth the facts today, I have
discovered that this is by no means an isolated incident.

Let me be clear about this - no-one, myself included, it authorised to
approach a third-party and make representations that they represent the
"xAP Group" unless they have discussed it with us first. The four
of us
who own copyright on the xAP standard - Patrick L, Kevin H, John T and
myself cannot in any way be made out to endorse such a request for kit
unless it has been clearly communicated to us first.

I am deeply unhappy about this, and trust that those who have got kit
"on loan" will firstly, let me know (either on or offlist) that
they
have, and secondly let me know the timelines surrounding the kit loan,
the promised code delivery date, and the actual code delivery date.

If, as is claimed, kit has been loaned for extended periods without code
having been written, then I think that Patrick, Kevin, John and I have a
right to know why!

Mark Harrison