Macro on Steriods?

There’s a big, big challenge when you have a new offering that differs greatly from the existing stable of solutions. Especially if It is, in fact, revolutionary. The challenge: effectively communicating what it is and what it can do.  

When automobiles were first introduced, new owners would often come out of the saloon to find their horseless carriage surrounded by barbed wire.  Misguided folks were protesting something that didn’t work very well and cost too much.  

You see, before the first really workable and affordable car (the Ford Model T), there were more than 100 pre-model T car makers with various models. And none of them were reliable, affordable or attractive.

In the world of Windows and Internet browser scripting, macros are like the pre-Model T cars.  

Macros are an attempt by software makers to provide some form of end-user automation capabilities.  They are primitive forms of scripting that over-promise and under-deliver.  Users with pressing needs to automate repetitive tasks have glommed on to macros in a desperate attempt to answer the business challenge at hand.  

Macros often appear to be easy to use and reliable.  In fact, they are neither.  

In theory, macros are a means of setting a mode and doing the keystrokes and clicks that a human operator would use to complete the task – they’re basically programming languages that are supposed to be simple enough for an end user to manage. Unfortunately, macros are usually loaded with anomalies that require tedious re-recording or nearly impossible editing.  

To return to our analogy, macros have consistently failed to deliver on their promise because in the real world, they actually require a mechanic (programmer) to journey along with you.  Much like the Model T precursors, macros have frequently broken down, requiring mechanical (programmer) expertise to get you back on the road.

When asked, “what is Foxtrot?” I often reply that “Foxtrot is a macro on steroids”.   This is usually effective in communicating what Foxtrot is because most folks in the data world are familiar with the macro concept.  My inclusion of the “on steroids” qualifier is to point out that Foxtrot technology has the muscle and refinement to out-perform alternative solutions, including custom coding, manual input and, yes, even conventional scripting or macros.   

Much like the Model T, Foxtrot is a revolutionary, break-through innovation -- a solution that really works for almost everyone on an affordable and reliable basis.  

Unlike macros, Foxtrot technology really can be used by non-programming types (as well as programmers) to automate repetitive data and IT management tasks.  Its patent-pending drag-and-drop targeting technology makes moving and managing data to address critical complex business problems as simple as learning to drive.  Virtually everyone can do it.

You might consider taking Foxtrot for a test drive.  The offer comes with a warning: you may never want to get back on the “macro programming” horse again.

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