CD-ROM offer [ details on implementation ]

[Dave Olson]

In <1991Feb15.212655.4645 at utstat.uucp> tg at utstat.uucp (Tom Glinos) writes:
| >I don't know anything about the fees that will be charged for CDROM
| >software updates, except that they are supposed to be less than
| >for tape.
| 
| CD-ROM $20/month, CD-ROM&Drive $60/month, Tape $60/month

Surely there is a purchase option of the drive also?  There is
supposed to be.  Some sites prefer monthly/yearly charges, others
outright purchase.  The tradeoff varies.  The CDROM is useful for
things other than installation also.

| >1) creating AND testing new proms for every machine and configuration
| > out there would be a huge engineering job, and one that no one
| > wants to do (we would rather give you new features on existing
| > machines, and new machines).
| This means adding code to already existing proms. I don't see it as
| all that difficult if there is space in the proms. You did leave
| extra space in the proms, didn't you :-)

No, it means retrofitting a LOT of changes to PROMS made under
perhaps 9 or 10 different build environments (over the course of
5 years), or using the current source.  Either way, a LOT of
engineering and test time would be required.  The company has
made the decision (which most engineers agree with) that it
simply isn't a good use of engineering time, etc.

Also, there simply ISN'T any room left in some PROM's.  Even new
machines suffer from this problem.  It costs to add support for
multiple types of cpu/graphics/disk/etc. to a PROM.  Believe it or not,
a 256Kbyte prom has now become marginal.  (PLEASE, don't started
bloated software wars here, confine them to comp.arch, etc.).

| > Any time you open up a machine and take out the boards, you tend
| > to expose problems that were lurking (heat stress, oxidized connectors,
| > etc., etc., and then you are looking at downtime for the customer
| Only if the design and manufacture is questionable.
| The machine has to go down anyway to install the drive.

Sorry, but this is simply a fact of life.  Yes, design and
manufacture play a part, but the older a board and chips are, the
more likely you are to see problems introduced by removing,
servicing, and replacing the board.  Powering the machine off
and on really isn't relevant.

| > and even more expense.  someone has to pay for it, either directly,
| > or indirectly in higher costs on future products.
| 
| Err, umm... that's what maintenance contracts are for!
| To pay for hardware and software upgrades.

I believe that hardware upgrades aren't covered under most service
contracts, but are instead billed as part of the upgrade (I could
certainly be wrong, and services contracts are sometimes customized).
PROMs are usually not covered under software maintainence, to the best
of my knowledge.

| Call me cynical, but the charging structure above suggests that SGI
| stands to make a fair bit of money on this program.

Our hope (I sat in on some of the planning meetings) is that we
can save money on software distribution costs, and pass that on,
either through cost reductions, or through postponing increasing
the cost of software upgrades (our costs for tape distribution
go up every release, even on a per tape basis).

We also hope that CDROM will speed up installation of new software,
through higher transfer rates, and fewer media swaps.

==========================
Standard disclaimer:  I speak only for myself, not for the company,
notwitstanding the use of the plural (we/our) above.
==========================
--

	Dave Olson

Life would be so much easier if we could just look at the source code.