Dear Mark,

>Dear Mario
>
>Linking is the same in assembler as any other language. I can
>guarantee that it
>was not written in assembler!

Yes, of course. I still won't go near assembler. Too chicken. That's
why I could never be a "real" programmer. I can't mention names
without causing a ruckus, but there was a certain German "Industrial
Giant" (nothing to do with microscopy) that only in the last few
years started using a high level language. Everything was done in
machine code! It would drive their American subsidiary insane. No one
could figure out anything. It was sort of "Our Town" meets the enigma
machine. Anyway, it left me with the impression of a Guild controlled
business, which guards its trade secrets vigorously. You may be up
against the same mentality.

>My point is that I could fix it if they let me have the source code.
>I am almost
>sure they used the Matrox library as they load the image kernel
>(which would not
>be used if you were at hardware level and why would anyone not use
>the supplied
>library?) despite the reply from Zeiss to the contrary. If so did Zeiss just
>commit FRAUD?

To enlist Zeiss's support, I think this last statement hurts you more
than helps. I just think that if you made a business-like proposal to
them, perhaps they would be more responsive. Have you tried this?
Offered to sign their non-disclosures? Offered a deal as I suggested
previously? Perhaps you have already and they have turned a deaf ear.
I would be interested in knowing the specifics (off list). Just from
what you've told us already, it drops Zeiss way down on the list of
manufacturers that I would buy a confocal from.

By the way, Axon Instruments may have mended its ways (I haven't seen
their latest offerings for electrophysiology software), but the
software I used even just four years ago was so antiquated as to be
beyond belief. It was so bad that I wanted to get rid of it and put a
LabView system together that I and/or students could build on. Before
this could happen, I got out of the electrophysiology business. If
they went to open source code, I couldn't be happier, especially as I
think I am going back to doing electrophysiology. Present Axon's
software approach to Zeiss. See what happens and tell us (or me
anyway).

Good luck.
--

Mario M. Moronne, Ph.D.
NanoMed Technologies, Inc.
1561 Posen Ave
Berkeley, CA
94706