Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!apple!well!brent
From: brent@well.UUCP (Brent Southard)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: MS-DIAL and OnLine
Message-ID: <13972@well.UUCP>
Date: 6 Oct 89 04:39:13 GMT
References: <20290@usc.edu>
Reply-To: brent@well.UUCP (Brent Southard)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 35

In article <20290@usc.edu> papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes:
>I'd like to know user's experiences with Microsoft DIAL (Direct Information
>Access Line System) and Microsoft OnLine for electronic tech support. 
>Are they worth the (large) expense? For what kinds of things are they useful,
>except for bug reporting, etc.? In particular, I'd like to know how MS-Windows
>is supported (no MC-DOS or OS/2) by the above electronic systems.
>
>-- Marco


Marco, I thought you were strictly Amiga!  Good to see you here as well.  I
do a LOT of Windows programming, and my company has used DIAL and currently
subscribes to OnLine.  DIAL is dead -- OnLine is the replacement.  There are
a lot of quirks with OnLine -- slow file transfers, slow everything in fact.
This wouldn't be so bad, except that you are billed for excess usage.
Despite this, the Microsoft people are pretty good at helping out,
especially for urgent problems.  You can usually expect a 1-4 day turnaround
on your questions, depending upon their assigned priority and difficulty.
You can, however, usually discover a lot yourself by sifting through the
KnowledgeBase.

Windows is probably the single most supported product on OnLine, so you 
don't have to worry about that.  In short, though we grumble a lot about
OnLine and Microsoft's technical support, they usually come through.  We'd
very often be lost without the service.  Recommended for serious
development.

Brent  (currently dusting off the A1000 in the basement...)


-- 
brent southard  (313) 656-8349   |   usenet:  ...!well!brent
ImageTech Corp  (313) 362-3141   |   

"When frog licking is outlawed, only outlaws will lick frogs."