jainen Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 >>Bill Gates probably had no idea what he was starting at first<< The Bill Gates startup model was to take a program someone else had already written and sell it to IBM. That's not exactly what y'all been talking about. The key will probably be finding a niche that large publishers are missing or can't service. It might focus on a certain type of taxpayer, like clergy or self-employed. Or certain kinds of returns, like retirement and estate planning. In my opinion, the best hope for any of us independent shops is to specialize. Or it might exploit new hardware, like smart cell phones or the PS3. I mean, right off I can think of so many ways I could use a Wii in my tax practice! Actually, I think the fastest way to a good reputation for a tax program is to go up against CFS TaxTools rather than Intuit and CCH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barosser Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 When will the stock be issued and where can send my initial investment?????????????? This is more exciting than Christmas.. May God bless this venture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Hudson Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 You can add me to the list of interested. No connectin to ATX or CCh other than as consumer. Check out my bonafides WWW>financialsafeguards.us pay no never mind to the addresses on website. Lost HDD with website on it some time ago and have not had the opportunity to rebuild. so site is dated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRIFF Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 My first post. Have been ATX customer since 1998. Strong Maine ties. I am very interested in this venture and I am willing to help out in anyway that I can. Have reviewed information on this board many times over the last few years and found that information has always been useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 I may as well add my few words . Since I have been with ATX, Sabre since 1996....I will be watching very closely what happens here. I have no other ties with the Company or Maine; but have been extremely happy with the product until now. Things are going well so far this year for me also, but do have trepidation about the future. Since I know absolutely nothing about writing a software program, I have little to offer other than support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 I have little to offer other than support. Come on Marilyn, cough up some of those millions you got stashed away :-) Eli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Come on Marilyn, cough up some of those millions you got stashed away :-) Eli Eli, I will be around if and when the dream becomes a reality. Sorry, no millions, though. BTW, I have been shoveling snow for the past two days. Today the sun is shining, but the temp is minus 14 degrees. Might as well be in Maine. We used to go to Texas every Jan or Feb for a couple of weeks before I got so busy......Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maribeth Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Mel, please add me to your list for investing, testing, support, whatever. This is exciting and doable. I know you have all of us behind you. Maribeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 BTW, I have been shoveling snow for the past two days. Today the sun is shining, but the temp is minus 14 degrees. Might as well be in Maine. We used to go to Texas every Jan or Feb for a couple of weeks before I got so busy......Regards Temps were in the 40's yesterday with lots of drizzle. Today temps are still in the 40-50 degree range, but the sun is trying to peek out from the clouds. Seeing everyone bundled up, you'd think we were in Maine or Wisconsin Eli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAXBILLY Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 75 and partly cloudy here in normally sunny Florida. taxbilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Temps were in the 40's yesterday with lots of drizzle. Today temps are still in the 40-50 degree range, but the sun is trying to peek out from the clouds. Seeing everyone bundled up, you'd think we were in Maine or Wisconsin Eli We don't expect temps to get above zero tomorrow for the Packers/Giants playoff game here in Wisconsin. And the game is in the evening so will be extra cold (or seem like it). Do you remember hearing about when Dallas came to WI for the famous Ice Bowl Game? (We won!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAXBILLY Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 For those too young to remember: http://www.profootballhof.com/history/deca...0s/ice_bowl.jsp taxbilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Do you remember hearing about when Dallas came to WI for the famous Ice Bowl Game? (We won!) I remember reading about it. I read a biography on Bart Starr when I was in middle school (I think). I was only 2 years old when the game was played. The Cowboys weren't my favorite team yet, but they have been since I was 10-11 :-) Eli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denne Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 >>Bill Gates probably had no idea what he was starting at first<< The Bill Gates startup model was to take a program someone else had already written and sell it to IBM. That's not exactly what y'all been talking about. I certainly wasn't thinking about stealing something from someone else.... I was suggesting that we think big! Sorry to mislead you..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 >>stealing something from someone else<< No, no. What I meant, was that he didn't develop something which became very popular. He turned it over to a big company so THEY could develop it. You are trying to take an idea BACK from the big company, so it can be developed close to the user base again. There are plenty of good examples of that sort. In fact, didn't ATX start that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micpa Posted January 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 I think the story goes something like this: The person who owned DOS would not meet with IBM and Microsoft. I think he kept them waiting or told them he was out to lunch or something similar. IBM asked Gates if Microsoft had a DOS program and he told them they did, when actually they did not. MSDOS was later sold or licensed to IBM and it was very, very similar to the original DOS. IBM then paid Microsoft to develop a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for them and spent untold amounts. Later Microsoft started selling Windows and there were all kinds of lawsuits between IBM and Microsoft, which went on for years. Also Apple was suing for stealing their idea of using GUI. The really funny thing is Xerox, (remember Xerox?) was way ahead in development many years before. Xerox had a think tank or skunkworks for developing new products. Apparently Jobs was given a tour of some kind and was shown both their work on GUI and a simple pointing device to operate it, which we now use everyday. A good lesson can be learned that no matter how great your ideas may be, action is required to make them a useful reality. There are idea people and there are action people. You will need both to develop a great new tax program. Here's a radical idea: Have the tax program customers own the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 I think the story goes something like this: The person who owned DOS would not meet with IBM and Microsoft. I think he kept them waiting or told them he was out to lunch or something similar. IBM asked Gates if Microsoft had a DOS program and he told them they did, when actually they did not. MSDOS was later sold or licensed to IBM and it was very, very similar to the original DOS. IBM then paid Microsoft to develop a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for them and spent untold amounts. Later Microsoft started selling Windows and there were all kinds of lawsuits between IBM and Microsoft, which went on for years. Also Apple was suing for stealing their idea of using GUI. The really funny thing is Xerox, (remember Xerox?) was way ahead in development many years before. Xerox had a think tank or skunkworks for developing new products. Apparently Jobs was given a tour of some kind and was shown both their work on GUI and a simple pointing device to operate it, which we now use everyday. A good lesson can be learned that no matter how great your ideas may be, action is required to make them a useful reality. There are idea people and there are action people. You will need both to develop a great new tax program. Here's a radical idea: Have the tax program customers own the company. Kind of like the Green Bay Packers fans own the team????? Your story has some very interesting information.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete - 0074 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 [REMOVED] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txyank Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Mel Please add me to your list of interested small investors. I have used Saber and Atx for many years since it was perfect for my needs as a solo practitioner who specializes in Individual and Sole proprietor Returns. I really admire your enthusiasm and your commitment to such an ambitious endeavor. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregster Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 I think the Idea of a user owned program would be a GREAT idea. and would be very inerested in being on the ground floor, so please keep me in the loop.. If it can get done I am sure that the great brains on this board can get it done. What about making it a web based application so that regular program updates and installation issues by users would be minimized? I begged ATX to do this since I began using Saber in 1998... It seems to me if you removed the local computer installation component that you could save a bunch of tech support headaches and general networking problems as well... Allow users to pay for a login to access the program and simply allow data to be saved to a local machine...or saved to an integrated remote backup service where server space could be sold to users as needed. It seems to me that my high speed Internet is more reliable and available than answers provided by CCH tech support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel in Hawaii Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 That would mean that there would be no ability to take your laptop on the road to your clients house right? Wouldn't that cut out a lot of customers and then add in a ton of other support issues all related to specific ISP's. Plus you wouldn't want to be in TX, as they are contemplating charging by the amount downloaded... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Plus you wouldn't want to be in TX What's up with that, Mel? I thought everybody wanted to be in Tx!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmallard Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Mel, Please add me to the list. I am willing to do anything at all to help, but probably only qualified to beta test or help with a forum or web site (I have set up a couple and enjoy it). Don't have much money, but willing to invest in this project. I am not connected with ATX or CCH in any way except as a software user since 1999. I am very disappointed at the direction ATX is headed. Prices going up, services going down (no free e-file this year) and no forum; all with no warning from ATX. My previous tax software was from Alpine Data (originally DOS based), which I used for years until they priced it out of my reach. I am a sole proprietor since 1984 and I only do about 50 returns per year, but most of my customers have been with me for 20 years. I am semi-retired now with taxes being my only official employment, so I have plenty of time to help in any way I can. When my tax software costs get to $500, I'll be going out of business. Please include me in your 'private' forum or if you need one, I'll set it up and host it on my website (jmallard.com). Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeM Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Mel Please add me to the list. I cannot afford to invest but I am willing to do anything at all to help, but probably only qualified to beta test or help. I am not connected with ATX or CCH in any way except as a software user since 1996. I too am very disappointed at the direction ATX (CCH) is headed. Prices going up, services going down (no free e-file this year) and no forum; all with no warning from ATX (CCH). I am a sole proprietor since 1970 and I only do about 100 returns per year. I am semi-retired now with taxes being my only official employment, so I have plenty of time to help in any way I can. When my tax software costs get to $800, I'll be going out of business. Please include me in your 'private' forum or if you need one. PS: I took a pool to see if preparers used the 1040A and 1040EZ, and haven't found any one yet. In my estimation these 2 forms may be left out and it will reduce the amount of programing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 When I worked at HRB, we input every return on the same screens as if it were a 1040. Ultimately, the program printed the appropriate form -- 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ -- and priced accordingly. But, we didn't have to worry about where something went, what line #, or anything, for three separate forms; just learned the one form, the 1040. And, I'm very interested in Mel's new venture. Please keep me posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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