[Note: If you are reading this page, it must be because you are following the link found on a recent Helix List posting from me. But just in case you got here some other way, here is the email prelude to my further comments...]

[somebody wrote...]
> Isn't it absolutely amazing that Helix management can...
> ...I cannot fathom the arrogance.

[and I replied...]

Or it could be that you confuse uncertainty, indecision, or something else altogether for what you call arrogance. Or it could be that they ARE communicating with the people who actually made loans. I don't know. I understand your frustration and apparent need to lash out, but I can tell you without equivocation that it is not helpful in the least. I have also been frustrated by the lack of apparent progress. I'm pretty sure that everybody at Helix Technologies is too. What looked to be a clear and straight path in January has apparently failed to gel.

This apparent lack of immediate resolution has forced me to make the hard decision to leave Helix Technologies. Here's the official announcement: on May 3, 2002 at 5:00 PM, my role with Helix Technologies officially ended. Erick Flesey has taken over all of the duties I have been doing. Erick has been handling telephone technical support since last October, so I am confident he will be able to handle these new responsibilities.

Please do not interpret this change as indication that I have personally "given up" on Helix. I still consider Helix to be the absolute best database available, and I still believe it has a future. Quite apart from the business aspect, this decision was made on a much more personal level.

There's a lot more I'd like to say, but my first draft of this email was extremely long, and would probably bore most of you to tears, so I won't include it here. If you care to dig a little deeper into my psyche and the rationale I used in making this decision...

The rest of the story...

I apologize if this comes off sounding like either self-aggrandizement or self-pity, but I fear that my departure will be misinterpreted by some, and I want to provide a fuller explanation about my decision.

My decision to leave Helix Technologies at this time was primarily a personal decision, not a business decision. The blunt explanation is that in the last four months of uncertainty, the stress of "not knowing" has taken it's toll on my family in ways I hadn't expected. I've grown more and more irritable, snapping at my wife and "blowing up" over trivial things. I've found myself becoming more and more a "conniver," shading facts and spinning situations (both inside and outside of the Helix world) in ways that upon reflection have contributed to making me a not-very-likable person lately. (In fact, this whole exercise may be just another conniving on my part - caveat lector.) This realization - that my personality is changing in ways I do not like - has caused me to take steps to attempt to return to a life of normalcy.

The harsh reality for me (made clear when I filed my 2001 tax return) is that I am simply unable to continue on working for Helix Technologies without a solid understanding of where my income will be coming from in the months ahead. I have been working without pay for Helix Technologies since shortly after 9/11, waiting for the plan to fall into place that would allow the company to return to normal operations. Please do not misunderstand: more than once Brian offered to send me money to cover my ongoing expenses, but I refused, saying that every penny available should go directly toward getting the OS X revision of Helix finished and shipped. Although I could not loan money, as others were asked to do, I was able to loan time, and I willingly did this.

Unfortunately, the paucity of information coming out of San Diego has affected me as well. My opinion regarding the future of Helix has changed very little, but since I don't really know what is going on or when that future will take place, I have taken the steps I think are necessary to be able to pay my bills and regain my "formerly pleasant demeanor." (Again: caveat lector. ;^) If I could continue to loan time to help the company through this turmoil I would, but at this point, I'm required to look first to my personal affairs, and that means doing things that result in income now.

I'll still be lurking about the Helix community, and I have promised all involved that I remain open to stepping back in, should a clear path be laid out for the future. I honestly do not know if that will happen this year, this month, or even this week. In the meantime I am going to focus on a number of personal projects that have been on the back burner for a long time. Helix will continue to be a huge part of what I do; I just won't be speaking with authority on Helix related issues anymore.

In closing, I'd like to wish Brian, Glen, and the Helix Technologies crew the very best of luck in their attempts to move Helix past this difficult time. I appreciate the vote of confidence they placed in me: I was originally hired simply to provide "transition" during the purchase of Helix from the former owner, and apparently I did well enough that they just kept me on. I just wish I could have hung on through this hard time. I'll always be grateful for the opportunities I had to shape Helix and for all of the great people I had a chance to meet (and hopefully help) through these years.

Regards,
Matthew Strange
Technical Support Manager, retired ;)
Helix Technologies
http://www.helixtech.com
Support: 858-712-0110
Main: 858-712-0109
Sales: 800-784-7018

and now, once again:
Matthew Strange
Autograph Systems
An Apple Authorized Reseller
http://www.autographsystems.com