[alanr: DEC UNIX information wanted]

[CusterDD]

<From:      Randy Sebra <randy at AMSAA.ARPA>

<     Is this really the kind of message that should appear on a
<federal government sponsored(and paid for) information network??
<It looks like someone at AT&T is trying to get government employees
<to do his homework at government expense.  If he wants to know
<about ULTRIX, he can damn well talk to a DEC sales rep like I have
<about the product.  If they don't feel like giving him information,
<then, welcome to the real world!!

<Randy Sebra

<----- Forwarded message # 1:

<Received: From brl-tgr.arpa.ARPA by AMSAA via smtp;  25 May 84 11:56 EDT
<Received: from brl-vgr.arpa by BRL-TGR.ARPA id ab06637; 25 May 84 11:48 EDT
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<Received: from Usenet.uucp by sri-unix.uucp with rs232; 24 May 84 18:29-PDT
<Date: 22 May 84 8:57:48-PDT (Tue)
<To: info-unix at BRL-VGR.ARPA
<From: ihnp4!houxm!hogpc!houxe!drutx!alanr at UCB-VAX.ARPA
<Subject: DEC UNIX information wanted
<Article-I.D.: drutx.364

<Does anyone know much (anything?) about the version of UNIX
<that DEC supports.  Is it based on VMS, 4.xBSD, System 5, other...
<In particular, performance, reliability, and quality of vendor software 
<support are of interest to me.
<Please reply to me by mail, if enough interest surfaces, I will summarize
<to the net.

<	-- Alan Robertson
<	   ihnp4!drutx!alanr
<	   AT&T Information Systems
<	   11900 N. Pecos
<	   Denver, CO   80234
<	   Phone: (303)-538-4796

<----- End of forwarded messages

My comments:
(This ought to get the net buzzing!)


Well, Randy, I think you're out of line.

You question whether or not Alan's message should appear on ARPANET on the grounds of
it being government supported, and it being improper for government employees to
"do his homework at government expense."

First, it isn't clear that Alan posted his request (not demand) to the ARPANET.
(Wish I knew how, assuming it is possible, and I don't think it is.)
Perhaps it got there via some method he wasn't aware of.  (If you read this on
the ARPANET (I'll bet you do), it isn't because I intended it to get there.
I posted it to net.unix as I don't want to cause a cost overrun on the ARPANET. :-) )

Second, even if Alan intended that his request be put on the ARPANET, I don't think
it is much different from other requests for help.  If it isn't ethical for the reader
to respond to it, then the reader is free to not respond.

You accuse Alan of not doing his homework.  On the contrary, I think that is exactly
what he was doing: surveying the user community for their experience.  The user
community's experience is not necessarily the same as vendor's claims.  (The foregoing
observation is not intended as a slam against DEC: it is common practice for all
vendors to "puff the wares," or in other words, put the best light on their products.
Who hasn't ever heard a salesman stretch the truth a mite?).  A prudent buyer/engineer
is going to check out the vendor's claims every way possible.

In the words of the immortal somebody who said:
	"If it aint broke, don't fix it!"

Let's hear it for government censorship, non-cooperation and secretiveness!

David D. Custer
AT&T Information Systems Labs
ihnp4!druky!ddc

Boilerplate follows.

UNIX is a trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories

The opinions expressed herein are strictly my own and not necessarily those 
of AT&T.  etc. etc. etc.