Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!sppy00!ljt
From: ljt@sppy00.UUCP (TOMS LAURA)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Re: Price of FTP Inc.'s Stuff
Keywords: tcp-ip PC-TCP ftp inc.
Message-ID: <1127@sppy00.UUCP>
Date: 26 Feb 91 18:06:57 GMT
References: <12607@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Online Computer Library Center, Dublin, Ohio.
Lines: 42

In article <12607@helios.TAMU.EDU>, ewillis@cs.tamu.edu (Edward Dean Willis) writes:
> I know that the PC-TCP package from FTP works fairly well (not counting
> the NFS part, which barely works...) but it costs too much.

I am now wrapping up an evaluation of TCP/IP for DOS products and this
is the package I am recommending we use.  InterDrive, the NFS part, is
quite functional but we did find several problems in the original 
version.  The newest versions are PC/TCP 2.05 and InterDrive 1.10, at
least as far as I know.  I can't say that's it's completely bulletproof
but it's no less stable than SUN's PC-NFS and it's a good bit more
flexible.

> Are these prices in line with what the rest of you have been paying? How
> do they compare to other commercial packages, such as B&W ?

It's roughly the same price as SUN's PC-NFS, I'm not sure about B&W
and Wollongong.  What we found with the latter two packages was that
the software was so buggy and unstable that it was essentially unusable.
I posted a complaint to this newsgroup and didn't hear a word back
from either company (both of which post to this group regularly).

> I stongly suspect that if this is the way that FTP is going to price their
> products, that they are going to run themselves right out of business.

I think their pricing is in keeping with the other companies, but their
software is more stable than most and more flexible than PC-NFS.  I
won't knock the latter on user-friendliness though, it was tops in
that regard.  If you're trying to save money you might check into
Wisc-Ware's MD-DOS which was developed at the University of Maryland.
It requires its own server running on the UNIX side which we couldn't
even get to compile.  I called the only number I could find and got
a recorder.  After several tries I got through to a person who gave
me an email address for the student who wrote the server.  NOT the
style of customer support we need in this environment!  But, I believe
the software was only $200 a copy.

Best of luck finding a cheap, reliable product!   :=)
-- 
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- Laura Toms		                            ...!osu-cis!sppy00!ljt -
- Online Computer Library Center, Dublin, Ohio              (614) 761-5016 -
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