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Xref: sserve comp.unix.misc:10662 comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit:5238 comp.unix.bsd:13179 comp.windows.x.i386unix:6036 biz.sco.general:9687 Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit,comp.unix.bsd,comp.windows.x.i386unix,biz.sco.general Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!hasty From: hasty@netcom.com (Amancio Hasty Jr) Subject: Re: SCO market share Message-ID: <hastyCII9Bv.8r@netcom.com> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <2f4qd0$k9f@slab.mtholyoke.edu> <sheldon.756428144@pv141b.vincent.iastate.edu> <PCG.93Dec23192932@decb.aber.ac.uk> Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 20:38:19 GMT Lines: 44 In article <PCG.93Dec23192932@decb.aber.ac.uk> pcg@aber.ac.uk (Piercarlo Grandi) writes: >>>> On Mon, 20 Dec 1993 22:55:44 GMT, sheldon@iastate.edu (Steve Sheldon) said: > >Steve> Here at Iowa State this is even the trend. In the past the >Steve> university had the source code to DEC's Athena, and fixed and >Steve> patched as bugs cropped up, then relaying those patches back to >Steve> DEC. Now, they've gotten to the point where they want to plug >Steve> DEC's software in, have it work, and if it doesn't work report >Steve> the bug to DEC, and have DEC fix it. > >Unfortunately DEC does not fix it, not now, nor ever. DEC have other >problems than trying to fix bugs that affect one or a dozen customers. > >Steve> It really is a lot easier for a company like DEC to keep on staff >Steve> a couple dozen programmers who know their operating system inside >Steve> and out, > >I doubt that DEC has as many as a couple dozen programmers who know any >operating system inside and out, and if they have they surely are not >putting them onto customer support. They are developing new features, >those sell machines, not correcting bugs that might afflict only one or >Steve> perhaps a dozen users. > >Steve> then for each and every university or company to keep on staff >Steve> one or two people, in addition to their regular support staff, to >Steve> fix operating system bugs. > >This is the theory, and it is a sensible theory -- unfortunately the >reality of the marketplace is that manufacturers believe that sales do >not depend on after sales bug fixes -- they depend on benchmarks >and features. Let them depend on manufacturers such as DEC for fixing bugs and see how far they get :-) I have over 10 years of experience dealing with DEC and also was a senior software engineer for central engineering at DEC.... -- This message brought to you by the letters X and S and the number 3 Amancio Hasty | Home: (415) 495-3046 | ftp-site depository of all my work: e-mail hasty@netcom.com | sunvis.rtpnc.epa.gov:/pub/386bsd/X