Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!hybrid!scifi!bywater!uunet!odi!benson
From: benson@odi.com (Benson I. Margulies)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aix
Subject: Re: Making A request to IBM (Was: Re: How does one compile to assembly?)
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.123532.8036@odi.com>
Date: 15 Mar 91 12:35:32 GMT
References: <13111@darkstar.ucsc.edu> <1991Mar6.211740.25556@ibmpa.awdpa.ibm.com> <96@softpro.stgt.sub.org> <1296@dkunix9.dk.oracle.com>
Organization: Object Design, Inc.
Lines: 29
In-Reply-To: bengsig@dk.oracle.com's message of 13 Mar 91 15:49:07 GMT

From my experience, many of these messages are not correct.

Defect support is for defects. Bugs. When you submit a defect, the
person from defect support creates an APAR and sends it to the
developer.

If the developer decided that it is a design issue, and not a bug,
they will tell defect support to tell you that "The software is
working as designed." The APAR is rejected, and defect support will
tell you politely but firmly that your only recourse is a DCR (Design
Change Request). Defect support cannot and will not create such
things. Your SE/marketing rep can do this, via a form called a PASR.
If there is such a thing as a Design APAR, I've never had someone from
defect support admit it or be willing to initiate it.

Further, the developer can decide that your problem, while a bug, is a
"permanent restriction," (i.e., too hard to fix) and decline to fix
it, ever. This is what happened to me when I reported that AIX dbx,
unlike any other, can't trace the stack below a sigaction-established
SIGSEGV handler.

There appears to be no way to instigate a management review of the
designation "permanent restriction" via defect support. The
immediately responsible developer calls the shot. All you can do is
submit a DCR.


-- 
Benson I. Margulies