Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ncoast!allbery
From: allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery KB8JRR/KT)
Subject: Re: Altos 5000
Reply-To: allbery@ncoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery KB8JRR/KT)
Organization: North Coast Public Access *NIX, Cleveland, OH
Date: Sat, 1 Sep 90 19:58:04 GMT
Message-ID: <1990Sep1.195804.25549@NCoast.ORG>
Followup-To: comp.unix.i386
References: <3854@altos86.Altos.COM> <1990Aug27.171347.12605@ico.isc.com> <43@raysnec.UUCP>

I usually try to keep my mouth shut about the Altos, since I'm not here to
provoke flame wars.  Nevertheless, I seem to have started something.

As quoted from <43@raysnec.UUCP> by shwake@raysnec.UUCP (Ray Shwake):
+---------------
| 	As Bart might tell Dick, "Don't have a cow, man!" The Altos, like
| others of its ilk, seek to promote integrated solutions, and having both
| knowledge and control of hardware and software allows one both to push
| performance higher and avoid many potential incompatibilities. Yes, you
| pay a price for this, but note how many postings in this group are of the
| "I can't seem to get [product x] to work properly with [product y]"
| variety. There's a place in this world for integrated solutions, as
| there is for unbundled hardware and shrink-wrap software.
+---------------

This was exactly my point in the reply that started all this.  I've had plenty
of experience trying to get serial port boards to work on various 286/386 PCs;
I have yet to have such problems even on the 5000.  And even if I did have a
problem of that sort (the original MultiDrop had its share of "version 1"
problems), it's much easier to get things fixed when the computer, O/S, and
board vendors can't run around pointing fingers at each other.

Sure, you pay for it (but not *that* much more; we priced out a 386 PC against
an Altos 1000 and got pretty much equal prices after adding in the stuff that
the ads in PC magazines don't tell you about, like needing more memory and
larger drives to get an equivalent system), but having a single support
organization which knows about *all* your hardware and the operating system
makes up for it.  Consider the cost of support --- both in money and in time
--- and the integrated approach looks much better.  Telotech has a number of
customers who came to us after finding this out the hard way.

I think I'll cut my comment short there, as I *still* don't want to plug my
company or the stuff we sell on the Usenet.  And I'll second the vote to put a
damper on the system-wars flames.  If you want to discuss this stuff with me,
do it via mail --- same most likely goes for Der Tynan and Ti Kan at Altos.
I'm on this newsgroup to look for and provide information, not participate in
silly religious wars.

++Brandon
-- 
Me: Brandon S. Allbery			    VHF/UHF: KB8JRR/KT on 220, 2m, 440
Internet: allbery@NCoast.ORG		    Delphi: ALLBERY
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