As a matter of good business, software
companies generally treat end
users fairly. However, sometimes they
don't.
One such case is the decision by
Computer Associates of San Jose,
Calif., to discontinue support of its
BPI Entry Level accounting system.
This decision essentially means hundreds
of contractors must now spend
thousands of dollars on new accounting
software.
BPI was one of two accounting programs
made by small companies that
were sold by IBM in the early 1980s.
Both BPI and the software made by
Peachtree Software Inc. included job
costing capabilities, which became
very popular. Because IBM is so
respected (and because the programs
were pretty darn good), both of them
sold like hot cakes. By the mid-1980s,
BPI had earned a