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From: jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Gatorbox vs. Fastpath 4: which is better?
Message-ID: <795@crash.cts.com>
Date: 30 Nov 89 06:16:06 GMT
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Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA
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jeff@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey M White) writes:
>In article <4163@cayman.COM> chris@cayman.COM (Chris North) writes:
>>>
>>> The software that implements the AppleShare - NFS function has been
>>> unbundled (as of this summer sometime). I suspect the prices you
>>> are comparing do not include the cost of this software. I don't have
>>> a recent price list in front of me; I recall it to be about $1800.
>>
>>  Yes, the GatorBox software has been unbundled.  You can now buy a vanilla
>>GatorBox with the GatorSystem software for $2795.  This has essentially the
>>same functionality as a Fastpath.  In addition to that you can purchase the
>>GatorShare software which enables you to mount NFS volumes as Appleshare
>>volumes for $1995.
>
>  Maybe it's me, but I'm confused about the prices given.  It seems from
>the followup given here (from someone at Cayman) that a Gatorbox with the
>NFS software is now $2795+$1995 = $4790.  Is this right!!!  I thought
>before the unbundling the price was in the $3000-$3500.  This is a big
>jump.  Neither of the numbers given seem to have anything to do with the
>original poster's $1800 price.  What's the scoop?
>
>PS - I don't want to start any arguements on whether commercail postings
>     belong here, but since there aren't that many gateways available, and
>     a lot of the people in comp.protocols.appletalk seem pretty interested
>     in term, I wouldn't mind seeing more postings directly from Kinetics
>     (oops, that's Novell now) or Cayman, describing any new features,
>     current prices, upgrade info (Phase II, for example).  I don't always
>     have access to a MacWeek to get the latest information, and I think
>     info right from the sources would cut down on some of the postings and
>     subsequent followups from people looking for such information.
 
But there's one thing that was not mentioned that I find worth the extra cost
of the GatorBox over the FastPath.  The GatorBox has a one year warranty while
the FastPath has the customary 90 day warranty.  Sounds like an Apple
conspiracy to me.  The $1995 is the NFS software.  The $2795 is for the
hardware itself.  Now if you're running TOPS or AppleShare, you really don't
need the NFS software, but if you're doing something such as using a
SPARCstation as a file server, then it is better to go with the GatorBox and
buy the NFS software instead of paying the $1000+ for TOPS for a Sun-4 and
paying the $200+ per Mac for TOPS.  It adds up really quickly.  The one year
warranty alone is enough to justify to me that the GatorBox the better value.
All of us that have or used Macs know that we don't like Applecare and we hate
the 90 day warranty, but American Express loves us for charging our Apple
hardware to them just to get the extension on the warranty.
 
Note, I don't work for Cayman, although I am waiting for them to send out the
loaner unit for demo purposes that our marketing wizard and I FAXed there at
the end of September.  It would be nice to have it there by Nov 14th so I can
show it off at our semi-open house demo session and provide a full evaluation
of the unit myself, my customers, and the people who have send me a load of
e-mail on "does this thing really do the job and do it well?"
 
Hint...hint...  ;)
 
                                                // John C. Archambeau

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