Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-unix!hplabs!cae780!amdcad!amd!noao!grandi
From: grandi@noao.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Microsoft customer "support", why it is.
Message-ID: <545@noao.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Feb-87 11:40:45 EST
Article-I.D.: noao.545
Posted: Tue Feb 10 11:40:45 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Feb-87 07:27:35 EST
References: <216700006@orstcs.UUCP> <384@ttidca.UUCP> <599@pilchuck.Data-IO.COM>
Reply-To: grandi@noao.UUCP (Steve Grandi)
Organization: National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson AZ
Lines: 21

In article <599@pilchuck.Data-IO.COM> del@pilchuck.UUCP (Erik Lindberg) writes:
>
>Microsoft does not have the best customer support in the world, but it
>is at least reasonable. It is unreasonable for you to expect them to
>support MS-DOS! MS-DOS is an OEM product only, Microsoft does not sell
>it (retail). PC-DOS is only MS-DOS with IBM PC drivers in it, OEM'ed to IBM.
>
When I bought my "generic" PC clone a few months back, the version of
MS-DOS I bought was a RETAIL release from Microsoft.  It is packaged with
GW-Basic and (as noted on the release disk) is intended "For Personal
Computers Compatible with IBM(R) Personal Computers."  Also, I've seen this
release listed in the ads by Jade in Byte Magazine.

Since Microsoft has released a clone PC-DOS to run on clone PCs, why
shouldn't they provide support?  (Well, since they don't help you much
when you buy Microsoft Assembler or C, I don't think they will start
now!).
-- 
Steve Grandi, National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson, AZ, 602-325-9228
UUCP: {arizona,decvax,hao,ihnp4,seismo}!noao!grandi   Internet: grandi@noao.arpa
SPAN/HEPNET: 5356::GRANDI or DRACO::GRANDI