Unlimited software warranties

[Peter da Silva]

In article <1991Mar13.021244.2538 at ico.isc.com> rcd at ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn) writes:
>     But the overwhelming demand is NOT for
>     reliable, efficient software!  The demand is for features!

How do you determine that? Who out there is *shipping* reliable and
efficient software? Who ever *has*? As soon as a UNIX version becomes
reasonably stable and systems big enough to run it have become
affordable, it's mutated out of that state. Every few years, when
hardware to run old UNIX has reached a low enough price most people
can afford it *the software is off the market*. It's happening again:
now that you can get a 386SX with 8MB on the motherboard, V.3.2 is
disappearing. Sure, you'd have to sell it for less to fit the market,
but where's the profit on systems you don't sell?

> I've ranted enough...OK, if you think I'm full of it, I'd be glad to be
> shown wrong.  Show me where and how quality is succeeding in the software
> marketplace.

Show me where it's being sold. How do I vote with my pocketbook if there
are no names on the ballot?

Here's a challenge for ISC: how about freezing the current version of your
V.3.2 offering. Call it UNIX Classic, and sell it for a price aimed at the
folks with $875 386SX clones. Don't include X, or MS-DOS emulation, or any
of that stuff. Don't even support X: let people run Roell's server... just
provide the hooks.

AND keep selling it. Polish it if need be to reduce support costs, but
don't go to V.4 or V.5 or ... if Apple can sell a "Mac Classic" and make
a killing, you can do the same.
-- 
Peter da Silva.  `-_-'  peter at ferranti.com
+1 713 274 5180.  'U`  "Have you hugged your wolf today?"