Experience with SCO UNIX 5.3

[Karl Denninger]

In article <436 at tabbs.UUCP> aris at tabbs.UUCP (Aris Stathakis) writes:
>From article <511077 at nstar.UUCP>, by larry at nstar.UUCP (Larry Snyder):
>} In article <525 at mwtech.UUCP>, walter at mwtech.UUCP (Walter Mecky) writes:
>}> Open Desktop should be released by SCO soon now.  This will turn your 386
>}> box into a (sort-of) Sun workstation type machine.  Open Desktop is a 
>}> package that includes the following:
>} 
>} Will this "Open Desktop" package replace their current Unix System
>} V products?
>
>No, I don't think so - but they are marketing this thing HEAD ON with
>OS/2.  Open desktop runs on TOP of UNIX.  Their Xenix products will still
>be supported, but I have a feeling they'd like to phaze them out.  I hear
>that SCO NFS will only be released for UNIX and not XENIX.  This is a bit
>of a bummer.  Hopefully a third party will close this gap.

No kidding.

No NFS is a big bummer.  Our Xenix machine NEEDS to be connected to other
systems now.  We can't do it with SCO Xenix.  We aren't going to spend a
couple of thousand to >replace< perfectly functional software (Xenix 2.3),
especially when there are other options out there that work and are less
than half the price.

SCO has half of it -- TCP/IP.  So where's the NFS?

SCO, you're dropping the ball on this one.  I know you'd like to have
everyone buy SCO UNIX 3.2, but some of us are aghast at the cost of that
upgrade.  As a dealer we could purchase BRAND NEW a 3.2 license from one of
our distributors for the same money you want from us to upgrade our 2.3.2 copy
to the new UNIX 3.2 release!  This is rediculous!  It comes about because your
organization does not offer dealer discounts on upgrades -- thus we, just
like everyone else, pay full price -- for the copy we will use to demo your
software to our customers!

What is our choice?  Give up?  It appears so.  Although I have come to know 
and love your organization this is a real problem for us and (I suspect) 
many other dealers as well.

Your policy of no dealer discounts on upgrades affects our customers when 
they want to update their software too.  In the past we have referred them 
back to you directly -- because they >know< what the list price is and 
refuse to pay our markup (wouldn't you, knowing you can get it cheaper from 
the manufacturer?!)  This makes more work for both you and us.

Then there is the 2.3 OS version for the 286, which doesn't have a 2.3 
compiler release.  That is yet another problem, and a serious one for 
some of our current customers.  I've got one right now who is rather miffed
that we are unable to provide a 2.3 development system although he can get a
2.3 OS version!

--
Karl Denninger (karl at ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 708 566-8911], Voice: [+1 708 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.		"Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"