Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!rochester!bbn!clsib21!bhj From: bhj@clsib21.UUCP (Burt Janz) Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix Subject: Re: SCO Xenix support Message-ID: <520@clsib21.UUCP> Date: Mon, 24-Aug-87 13:31:20 EDT Article-I.D.: clsib21.520 Posted: Mon Aug 24 13:31:20 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 25-Aug-87 04:23:16 EDT References: <6974@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> <56@splut.UUCP> <133@turnkey.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: CLSI Inc., Newtonville, MA Lines: 51 Keywords: support Summary: More commentary from a uport user (very happy one, indeed!) In article <133@turnkey.UUCP>, root@turnkey.UUCP (Super user) writes: > In article <56@splut.UUCP>, jay@splut.UUCP (Jay Maynard) writes: > > In article <6974@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP>, davidsen@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP (William E. Davidsen Jr) writes: > > > I really like the SCO product, but their support policy seems just short > > > of useless. It is aimed for the first time user, who will ask stuff like > > > "how do I add my xyz printer?" It only covers the first N days (90 I > > > think, but it may only be 30). > > > [...] > > > Does anyone else share my opinions? > > > > I can't speak to SCO, but Microport has the same policy (though they're not > > quite as expen$ive). They want $149/year for technical support, and that > > includes calls to report bugs! Real, live, system crashes. > > > > I don't object paying for handholding (I'll do without instead), but for a > > vendor to charge me to fix a bug in his product is absurd. I love SV/AT, but > > would not recommend it to anyone except a Un*x wizard, simply because it'll I also am a uport user, and am, quite frankly, pleased at the quality of the software. I have also been a ver6, ver7, 4.1, and 4.2 user, and have seen an INCREDIBLE amount of bugs in those versions as well. The question must be asked: "How much is a bugless piece of software worth to you, and what are you willing to give up to get one?" Running SV/AT on an AT clone is MUCH better than running PCDOS on it (my opinion - no flames please...), and the cost of SV/AT was quite reasonable (check out the ads for Programmer's Connection...). If I wanted a bug-free kernel, should I have purchased XENIX? From what I read on this (and other) newsgroups, XENIX has its share of bugs as well. So, the issue is definitely NOT bugs. Support? Well, I've have nothing but praise for the support team at Microport. They have been eager to help me on several calls, and have solved my problems on all except one (has to do with the lp driver...) which I can work around for now. Cost of support? Ok, fella... cost out a DECService contract sometime... then price the independents. Most of the independent service out there can help with the larger issues, but get really STUCK on the smaller issues (you know, the ones requiring you to have worked on the source for the software). By the way, I also have DOSMerge. That's the Locus Computing kernel mod which lets uport users run PCDOS under UNIX. One of the truly marvelous products around. Imagine typing "% dos" and seeing "C>"! I wasn't aware that XENIX had that yet... Let's stop picking on Microport. The 68000 had a slower start than the 8086, but look where it went... Burt Janz