386/ix: Queries, Comments and Information

[Bob Palowoda]

>From article <1909 at syma.sussex.ac.uk>, by jonm at syma.sussex.ac.uk (Jonathan Meyer):

> Regarding people moaning about ISC (mentioning no names), this does not
> seem at all constructive. Whilst spending $3000 on an operating system
> is a lot, NOVELL charge that for their 386 fileserver software, and that
> only has networking on it - no X Windows, no utilities, no mail
> routers, no multiuser capabilities.

  I guess the more you pay for the OS the louder the moans and groans
are going to be. At least you compared one overpriced package with another.
Still compareing ISC to Novell seems improper. Try comparison's in the 
same OS, like ISC vers Intel's vers Dell's vers ESIX vers SCO vers ATT. 
I suspect when S5.4 goes resale ISC's 3.2 will not be worth as much.
Novell isn't going to drop thier prices they have no competition. That 
in my book is worse than ISC. Or even SCO. (Uggh, I can't beleive I said that). 

> The system doubtless has bugs.

  Name a system that dosn't have bugs?

> Support is charged per minute, and even their brochures cost money! I'm
> not complaining - just trying to put things in perspective.

  If the customer is made aware of the fact that they charge for service
I can't see anything wrong with this. In fact I wish all the software
companys drop there prices 100 to 200 dollars of the product and tell the
customers that if they need service to pay for it. Make it a pay industry
so that the worth of the service can be evaluated. i.e. When someone pays
SCO 600 for thier level one support and indicates so on the net, but has
a problem the readers take that information as wieghted value. When someone
talks about they can't get there uucp working right and calls in, what IS
the value of responsible service? You have nothing to make a judgement on
because you don't have idea what you paid for the service. Either that or
do it free no stings attached. 


---Bob


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