I’m wondering why some folks/institutions are just stuck in their own world for their own reasons. More specifically, why hasn't the AIA made the commitment to accessible contract documents for the Mac. When an inquiry is made to the AIA on how to actually use the documents, the response is “buy the windows interface for your Mac, run the interface, and our program will work perfectly in there.”
Hmmmm, shouldn’t it be the other way around? If a Mac person were purchasing something, they are the “customer” and doesn’t the seller want to make more sales? So why the exclusionary approach? Sounds like somewhere an ostrich has its head stuck in the sand; and you know what part that leaves exposed.
—Lisa Stacholy, AIA
Comments (2)
Hi Mac users, your points are well taken…we too are disappointed that our current product doesn’t meet the needs of the large Mac-using world. We’re missing a big opportunity to find lots of great customers like you. Unfortunately, as a not-for-profit entity, we simply do not have the resources to develop and manage products across two different platforms.
But the good news is that we are re-launching a new “documents on demand” service later this Fall allowing users to purchase the most popular AIA documents individually as PDF’s and then complete them electronically (though users wont be able to edit standard AIA text in these documents).
Going forward, we now have Mac-user representation on our AIA Contract Documents Software Advisory Committee, which will meets periodically with AIA staff to review and comment on the concepts under consideration for the development of the next generation of AIA Contract Documents software. With more Mac-centric input, we should be better prepared to meet Mac users’ needs in future releases.
Sorry we cannot currently address all of your needs, but we are working on them. Stay tuned.
Thanks,
Courtney Holmes
AIA Contract Documents Marketing Manager
Posted by Courtney Holmes | September 10, 2009 3:29 PM
Posted on September 10, 2009 15:29
Haha! I totally share your pain - as a Mac user who relies on AutoCAD for design/drafting.
Posted by CivilGuy_DC | September 10, 2009 9:36 AM
Posted on September 10, 2009 09:36