Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!mithomas
From: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Michael Thomas Niehaus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Big Brother is watching (was Re: D.. Maint..)
Message-ID: <10285@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
Date: 13 Nov 89 21:20:13 GMT
References: <10273@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> <10274@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> <245@spt.entity.com>
Reply-To: mithomas@bsu-cs.UUCP (Michael Thomas Niehaus)
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 55

Mark Connor writes:

     Well, hmm... lemme see now...  Mike's an Apple Students Rep, and
     Apple's in bed with DEC, and Mike sends a message kinda criticising a
     DEC machine, and someone (apparently above Mike) at the school starts
     spewing how DEC is really great, and then Mike sends a further message
     saying how he really loves DEC and how it's really not DEC's fault.

I don't know that I would say "love."  I have respect for DEC as a computer
company.  I also have respect for the Macintosh as a computer.  (Notice the
different qualifications.)  And actually, the complaint didn't originally
come from Ball State, it came from somewhere within DEC.

     Sure Mike, I understand;  Lessee, you've got lotsa accounts to
     consider here... and being an Apple Student Rep must be nice...
     AppleLink and all...

Yes, being a student rep is nice.  You get to deal with hundreds of people
who complain about everything from high prices to short warranties to bad
disk drives to slow delivery...  Well, you get the picture.  I understand
their concerns and complaints, but I can't change anything.  They would be
amazed at the power of the pen.

Luckily, there is a good side.  I now have a Macintosh.  I get to go to all
kinds of Apple events.  I now have my very own Apple pin and a Macintosh bumper
sticker.

    Personally I'm kinda insulted by the fuss.  I figure the machine
    probably is subject to the usual DEC Field Circus (overpriced, "I have
    to go get a part") syndrome, and you're just getting pissed on because
    of your position as Apple Rep.

I don't know about that.  Maybe the person from DEC who forwarded my
posting back to Ball State could answer that one.  

Well, I guess then I should start including a disclaimer:

I don't speak for any of the folowing:
  Ball State University, Apple Computer, University Computing Services, 
  Computer Science Department, Management Science Department, College of
  Sciences and Humanities, College of Business, state of Indiana, United
  States of America, NATO, United Nations, planet Earth.
I do speak for:
  Me.

That ought to cover it.  And I never use drugs...  And I also believe in the
First Amendment.

-Michael


-- 
Michael Niehaus        UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!mithomas
Apple Student Rep      ARPA:  mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu
Ball State University  AppleLink: ST0374 (from UUCP: st0374@applelink.apple.com)