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From: wnp@iiasa.AT (wolf paul)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386,comp.unix.sysv286
Subject: Re: Does Microport offer Updates to its users?
Message-ID: <874@iiasa.UUCP>
Date: 4 Sep 90 11:56:17 GMT
References: <846@iiasa.UUCP> <847@iiasa.UUCP> <10615@rls.UUCP> <152@grumbly.UUCP> <863@iiasa.UUCP> <10621@rls.UUCP> <341@uport.UUCP>
Reply-To: wnp@iiasa.UUCP (wolf paul)
Organization: IIASA, Laxenburg/Vienna, Austria, Europe
Lines: 52

In article <341@uport.UUCP> rduc@uport.UUCP (Richard Ducoty) writes:
)There is a good possibility of a 386/3.2.2 upgrade and *upgrade path*
)as for a 286/3.2 ??? not that I know of.  You must understand companies
)don't like to tell the world their game plan.  Most companies wouldn't
)even tell you this much.  So until product announcements are actually
)made - *all* of this is just speculation - and anyone who tries to tell
)you different is just guessing.

I realize this. But in light of the way the "old" Microport went out
-- amid a **LOT** of customer dissatisfaction -- it seems to me that
you could recover a lot of good-will from past customers by making
some announcement to your old users of what your plans are for
regaining their loyalty. If you don't attempt to regain their loyalty,
they could really hamper your effort to develop new customers.


)>> If they are not going to offer any kind of update/upgrade path for
)>> owners of their 386/3.0e product, then I personally think that we
)>> should all forget about doing business with them.
)
)Where did you get the idea we wouldn't offer an upgrade path from
)3.0 -> 3.2  if 3.2 becomes available?

I didn't mean to say that you wouldn't do this if you had a 3.2; there
seemed to be doubt from people who sounded like they knew what they
were talking about whether you would even produce a 3.2. I think you
owe it to customers of the 3.0e product to produce and offer 3.2 
at reasonable terms.

)>Forgive my ignorance, and please explain the benefits of an "upgrade path"
)>when 4.0 will deliver all that 3.2 has and more.  If its price you're
)>worried about, my guess is it should be announced when the "official"
)>release comes out.  Just curious.

It is my understanding that AT&T might make it difficult for vendors
like Microport, SCO etc. to offer a 3.x -> 4.x upgrade path. They seem
to consider it a new product rather than a new release of an old one.
I am not expecting Microport to do more than other vendors -- but
all others offered 3.2 updates.

)Some people might not need all the power of 4.0  - version 3.x can still
)do a lot and it isn't a large as 4.0.  If a person were upgrading from
)3.0 he could go to 3.2 for less money than 4.0.  

Right, and for a personal system that might be all one needs,
especially if a 3.2 had such things as "#!/bin/sh" recognition, like
ISC's latest, and networking stuff like NFS.
-- 
Wolf N. Paul, IIASA, A - 2361 Laxenburg, Austria, Europe
PHONE: +43-2236-71521-465     FAX: +43-2236-71313      UUCP: uunet!iiasa.at!wnp
INTERNET: wnp%iiasa.at@uunet.uu.net      BITNET: tuvie!iiasa!wnp@awiuni01.BITNET
       * * * * Kurt Waldheim for President (of Mars, of course!) * * * *