Support

[John G. DeArmond]

tim at comcon.UUCP (Tim Brown) writes:

>I have in the past complained about support, never really being able
>to point to any other entity that was better...well I was browsing the
>aix group.  I was *impressed* with what I saw.  I saw users asking
>questions about aix and guess what?  Yes!  IBM techs were responding
>and in helpful, clear and concise ways.  In fact particularly impressive
>was the ratio of questions to answers.  Questions from users and
>answers from IBM techs and such.  Something like 1 to 3.  Now there
>are users helping each other too.  Where is the vendor assistance
>here?  If there was more of it (vendor assistance) vendors woudln't
>need to *explain* support policies.

Yeah. One of my clients is a budding AIX site.  They've traditionally
used another major vendor's hardware and Unix.  But they're looking
awfully hard at AIX.  My personal opinion after working with it
awhile is that AIX is about as much use as used diapers.  But the
tech support is great.  IBM can marshall a venerable sea of support 
people on a moment's notice.  And they lavish hardware right and 
left.  Hell, we're using PS/2s for printer stands - a task they do
best.  WE've found that RTs make good door props.  

I've come to believe that IBM really is serious about the Unix
market.  Whether or not  that is good for us remains to be
debated.  I wonder if ISC, SCO and the rest will allow IBM to step onto
home courts and steal the games yet again.  While ISC and SCO are worrying
about the next authorization scheme or copy protection daemon or how
much to nick developers for development kits, or how much to charge for
tech support phone calls or how to act like they don't know what
the net is all about, IBM will be lavishing OSs AND hardware on most 
anyone who even remotely resembles a legitimate developer.  We can all
guess who will come out the winner on that one.  In my case, I suspect
that the platform that my current software will execute on will
be a bit blue around the edges.  I guess ISC's gotta cast its lots and
take what comes back.  Oh well...

John

-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC  | We can no more blame our loss of freedom on congress
Radiation Systems, Inc. | than we can prostitution on pimps.  Both simply
Atlanta, Ga             | provide broker services for their customers.
{emory,uunet}!rsiatl!jgd|  - Dr. W Williams |                **I am the NRA**