Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!convex!rcunning From: rcunning@convex.com (Randy Cunningham) Newsgroups: comp.databases Subject: Re: Ingres Message-ID: Date: 20 May 91 17:18:05 GMT References: <1991May17.231043.21429@nmt.edu> Sender: usenet@convex.com (news access account) Distribution: na Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA Lines: 55 Nntp-Posting-Host: convex1.convex.com In <1991May17.231043.21429@nmt.edu> rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner) writes: >We are about to buy Ingres and were shocked to find out that a) update pricing >does not include any technical support (that's another $6K), b) there is >no "warranty"-type period when you can call in for free with technical >questions, and c) if you don't buy the support to begin with, you have to >pay for missed years later on. Now, I've heard of things like c) before, but >it always related to having missed updates. Since update support is separate >here, you could be at the latest release, have never made a single phone call >to take the time of their tech support people, and yet if you want to start >asking questions a couple of years later, you'd have to fork over $18K to get >that third year support. We told Ingres that this was surprising, and they >said that it's standard in the database world (said it rather patronizingly, >too). All of these issues revolve around the fact that technical support is the costliest thing that a software company sells... there's a person there who answers your questions, the person draws a salary, and the difference between what you pay the company and they pay their employee (the "margin") is, often, surprisingly thin over time. The separate update and technical support pricing is a "feature;" if you DON'T need tech support, they're giving you a break... not all software companies do this. The warranty is something that they SHOULD do, if they have confidence in their own products. Of course, there is a cost, and if they DO have to provide a lot of "warranty" technical support, it's just going to end up in the initial license pricing. Issue (c) is just a hard reality that the software companies "have" to do to avoid being manipulated... if I could pay after a quiet period, it would be analogous to me beginning to pay premiums to my insurance company AFTER totaling my car. It is probably possible to secure tech support on a time and materials basis (which is what you're effectively proposing), but the cost to you are likely to be far higher than if you sign up for tech support, which evenly spreads the costs among all consumers. Typical tech support costs are between 15-20% of the product base price. Your costs are higher because your base price is so advantageous with the educational discount. Finally, people are willing to pay between nothing and a million bucks or more for DBMS software... some who pay nothing are paying too much, and some who pay a million get paid back over and over again. It all depends on what the DBMS is used for, how critical it is, what the alternatives are, etc. -- Randy Cunningham Product Marketing Manager CONVEX Computer Corporation Voice: (214) 497-4898 3000 Waterview Parkway Fax: (214) 497-4848 Richardson, TX 75080 Internet: rcunning@convex.com