Xref: utzoo comp.unix.i386:8390 comp.unix.microport:4194 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!natinst!balkan!wrangler!ssbn!bill From: bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386,comp.unix.microport Subject: Re: Does Microport offer Updates to its users? Message-ID: <1737@ssbn.WLK.COM> Date: 1 Sep 90 13:56:59 GMT References: <846@iiasa.UUCP> <847@iiasa.UUCP> <10615@rls.UUCP> <334@uport.UUCP> <723@vidiot.UUCP> Reply-To: bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy) Followup-To: comp.unix.i386 Organization: W.L. Kennedy Jr. and Associates, Pipe Creek, TX Lines: 64 In article <723@vidiot.UUCP> brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes: >In article <334@uport.UUCP> lee@uport.UUCP (Lee Crocker) writes: [ Microport invitation and phone number ... ] > >Is uport thinking about trying to attract us ISC customers that are getting >a little fed up with ISC and their support/software update pricing schedule >by doing a trade-in offer? You know, we send you our ISC disks and you give >us a great price on your software?!?!? >-- >Vidiot ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!vidiot!brown That might sound like a good idea at first glance, it probably sounds pretty good to the "new" Microport. In case anyone has forgotten, I have been one of ISC's more vocal critics, so there's no love lost there either. Let's recall some historical facts for the benefit of the netters who came after ubug's demise. Microport said that they would be the first to ship System V for the '386 and they were true to their word. As best I recall that was the last time they were true to their word and it was too bad, V/386 needed a few more months of work as evidenced by AT&T and ISC's several month delay after Microport started shipping. The Microport effort (I would not call it "product" then, nor will I now) was buggy, unreliable, poorly supported, and Merge had an appetite for super blocks. Merge, even though sold at full retail price, was clearly marked "Beta Test Version", and victims who bought it were sent a letter thanking the "pioneers" (their words) and promising a free upgrade. There was no beta level tech support and when the upgrade was offered it was not free. In 1988 my article described the Microport effort "I would not dignify it by calling it excrement". The software was lousy, support non-existant, and documentation print quality very poor (there was even an apology for that enclosed). For the sake of the discussion let's say that the charlatans have all been replaced, all management and technical attitudes are new. That was, after all what got them their just desserts. Let's also presume (note that _no_ _one_ from Microport has even suggested this) that they'd like to collect some i386 customers by offering a deal. The reincarnated Microport presumably inherited the intellectual property, the buggy code, poor documentation. Such a deal! Do you believe that they went through all of the bug reports and fixed everything? If so, then why no 3.2? Do you believe that they just picked up the buggy code and plastered it over the Vr4 port? Such a deal! If their Merge caper is any precedent then here they go again (at significantly higher prices) selling beta stuff with a promise of a free upgrade. Are you going to go for that? If you are, please send me a blank check, I'll fill in the amount and send you some of my old equipment here, as much as I think is worth what I wrote on your check... I'll try to be fair and wait to see if the leopard has changed it's spots. I'll not accuse the new crew of perpetuating the ethics and attitudes that killed the first Microport and maimed its customers. You'll have a tough time convincing me that the intellectual property has improved with age. The happiest I ever was with V/386 was when the UPS driver carried it away, I'd hide and lock the doors if I thought he might bring me another Microport effort... Caveat emptor isn't enough, you have to push it through banner first onto billboard size paper. I'll grumble and growl about ISC and AT&T but I'll stick with them because their products work. There are quirks and thinks that annoy, but they don't hurt you. I screamed and howled about Microport because they hurt you and laugh about it. -- Bill Kennedy usenet {att,cs.utexas.edu,sun!daver}!ssbn!bill internet bill@ssbn.WLK.COM or attmail!ssbn!bill