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From: myxm@beta.UUCP (Mike Mitchell)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Microport -- Man or Myth??!?
Message-ID: <10154@beta.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Sep-87 18:49:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: beta.10154
Posted: Wed Sep 16 18:49:09 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Sep-87 11:56:54 EDT
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 48

Step right up and Come on in. Today we have the fat lady with three chins,
an eight hundred pound rabbit, a man who eats nails and craps tacks, and
the $500 Unix. Yes, I know it is unbelievable, but just pay your money to
the man up front, and step inside for a look. Hurry Hurry Hurry.

On Monday of this week, I had a phone conversation with one of the technical
support at MicroBlunder about one of my distribution floppies. As it turns
out, the floppy was blank and the gentleman at MicroBlunder told me he would
ship me a floppy (yes, yours today for the low, low, low price of only $12.00).

I have to admit, the floppy did arrive on the fastest slow boat from China.
They were pretty good about taking the ten minutes to fill out a charge to
my VISA card and getting another floppy in the Federal Express wagon. I must
hand it to them, they sure know how to send those floppys. Turns out that
this one the gentleman sent me was a copy of ONE I ALREADY HAD! 

"Allo?" "TECHNICAL SUPPORT!" "Yes?" "YOU TECHNICAL SUPPORT?!" "Yes." "I TALKED
TO TECHNICAL SUPPORT ON MONDAY AND HE SOUNDED DIFFERENT. ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE
TECHNICAL SUPPORT?!" "Yes, we assume different roles depending on the demand."
"WELL, I HAVE A DEMAND!" "What can we do for you?" "SEND ME ANOTHER FLOPPY."
"THE GUY I TALKED TO TOLD ME HE WOULD FEDERAL EXPRESS ONE TO ME FOR THE MERE
PITTANCE OF $12.00. WELL HE DID, NO COMPLAINTS THERE. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE
ONE HE SENT ME IS A COPY OF ONE I ALREADY HAD." "Why did he send you one in
the first place?" "BECAUSE IT WAS *UCKING BLANK" "Oh." "DO YOU WANT TO CHARGE
ME $12.00 AND SEND ME A FLOPPY TOO?" "Which floppy was it?" "GOT A PEN?"
"Yes." "RUNTIME (THIS READS: !!NOT OPTIONAL!!) DOT (LIKE A PERIOD) TWO
(LIKE ONE AND THEN TWO)." "Ok." "VERSION ONE (LIKE ONLY ONE) DOT (PERIOD
OR POINT, TAKE YOUR PICK) THREE (ONE THEN TWO THEN THREE)." "Ok." "SO HOW
MUCH? ARE YOU GOING TO CHARGE ME AGAIN? HUH, OH, PLEASE?" "I will look into
it for you." "THANK YOU." "We'll get this out Federal Express tonight."
"OH YEAH, SO I'LL GET IT ON FRIDAY. MEAN WHILE I'LL JUST SIT HERE AND
PLAY WITH IT." "Something like that." "FINE." "Good bye." "CLICK!"

Are these guys for real?

Meanwhile back at home camp.

"Hello." "The Infamous Mike Mitchell please." "Depends on what he is infamous
for. This is Mike." "Hi, this is SCO." "Oh, like Unix.?" "Yep." "I saw
your last message on the news about the problems you have been having with
MicroBlunder." "Really, that's TOO funny." "I have an idea for you..."

What's this? A commercial micro unix producer that actually ties into the
net? Wow. Maybe there is someone out there that listens... We can hope.

Mike Mitchell
myxm@lanl.gov
...!cmcl2!lanl!myxm