Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!sharkey!atanasoff!jwright
From: jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (Jim Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: the deafening silence
Message-ID: <1621@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu>
Date: 13 Oct 89 00:23:50 GMT
References: <1989Oct5.224148.19484@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> <1341@clyde.Concordia.CA> <1614@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu> <462f7f81.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Reply-To: jwright@atanasoff.UUCP (Jim Wright)
Organization: Iowa State U. Computer Science Department, Ames, IA
Lines: 35

In article <462f7f81.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> tim@apollo.HP.COM (Timothy R. Giebelhaus) writes:
| Like Dave E. says, help over the news system is a privilege, NOT a right.
	[and good explanation of why this is so]

| If anyone has suggestions for how to make news help practical,
| please let me know and I'll make sure it is seriously considered by 
| Apollo/HP management.

I don't think help for individuals' problems will ever be practical using
news.  But I think there is a place for publicly releasing information.
Informing customers of common, known problems (often merely problems with
customers misunderstanding something) seems a good thing.  Also releasing
a list of what is on the patch tapes.  I'm not asking to get free patches,
but I don't think it is unreasonable to know what is on past and forthcoming
tapes.  I can only see that generating interest in obtaining service
contracts.

It would also seem practical to use email in addition to telephones to
provide individual customer support.  Requiring the service contract
number would be easy and easily enforceable.  I am generally more coherent
when I have the chance to sit down and organize things at my leisure.  I
can see a few arguments against this, so I'm not holding my breath.  (The
more I think about this, the more reasons I can see against it.  In fact,
I'm kind of surprised that bug reports via email are allowed. :-)

| IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE SOFTWARE SUPPORT IN NORTH
| AMERICA, please give me a call, and I will help you out.

This is true.  I've gotten help from Tim in the past.  He's been
knowledgeable and responsive.  Thanks!

-- 
Jim Wright
jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu