just installed a PI

[Steve Dempsey]

    >Date: 5 Jan 90 12:25:10 GMT
    >From: Steve Lamont <spl at mcnc.org>
    >Organization: Foo Bar Brewers Cooperative
    >References: <4411 at amelia.nas.nasa.gov>
    >
    >>
    >>I was extremely impressed by the documentation (quantity-I haven't had
    >>the time to judge quality yet) ...
    >
    >Huh?  All we got was one funky little User's Manual with our 4D/20.  The
    >fellow that set it up had problems getting it on the network because
    >there was not sufficient information -- spent a lot of time on the hotline
    >and on the phone with the salesperson, ferreting out documentation.

The problem here is that you don't get the complete documentation UNLESS you
order the SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT OPTION, even though most of the docs have nothing
to do with software development.  As Steve Lamont noted, configuring the network
software for anything but the simplest situation requires more info than one can
get from the User's Manual.  It seems that SGI could do it's future customers
(and those harried folks manning the HOTLINE) a favor by including sufficient
documentation to operate the basic hardware, or by having an explicit
DOCUMENTATION option for those folks who don't want to be tempted by the evils
of software development.  However, I would consider it to be one of those
oxymoronic 'mandatory options'.
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