Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!octopus!pete
From: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Why Can't Microsoft Write Protect Their Distribution Disks?
Summary: Now we've come full circle, forgetting that the CUSTOMER is king.
Message-ID: <240@octopus.UUCP>
Date: 28 May 88 06:03:04 GMT
References: <175@optilink.UUCP> <978@hsi.UUCP> <5873@cup.portal.com> <5131@nsc.nsc.com> <101@dcs.UUCP>
Reply-To: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Distribution: na
Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino CA
Lines: 46

In article <101@dcs.UUCP> wnp@dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul) writes:
>In article <5131@nsc.nsc.com> woolsey@nsc.UUCP (Jeff Woolsey) writes:
>>Why can't the _end-user_ simply write-protect the diskettes before use?
>
>Maybe the END-USER is lazy, or forgetful, or careless, etc., and after
>clobbering his distribution disk finds solace in blaming the publisher
>rather than his own stupidity? [followed by examples of user carelessness]

A good vendor will understand that end users can be careless. Whether it
is right to blame the vendor under all circumstances really doesn't matter
a bit. Any time a vendor leaves a hole in their overall customer service
picture, they WILL be blamed by users, especially if the competition doesn't
leave the same hole.

I don't think there is a software vendor on the face of the earth that can
afford to be cavalier about customer troubles, in the long run. That $1200
cost for using non-writeable diskettes is VERY bad economy. $1200 looks
like a lot, but it IS only a few pennies per PAYING CUSTOMER. How much
money was spent to get those customers in the first place? An upset
customer will do a LOT more damage to your reputation than a happy one
will help your reputation. That's fundamental common-sense in the business
world.

Sure, it may be my own fault for not write-protecting the original disks.
But if you eliminate that particular mistake, I'll never be able to complain
about it. And it is much more likely that I'll blame myself if I do something
REALLY stupid (disk left in sun to melt, etc), than if I get in trouble
because the manufacturer made assumptions about how careful I would be.

Bullet-proofing your software means to do all you can to make sure the
user CAN'T make a mistake. Good user interfaces do this. Good packaging
does the same thing. Sure, there's cost/benefit tradeoffs, but they are
reached when you're talking about a significant fraction of the selling
price of the package, not a few cents! [Even with the low-volume prices
given, at $0.15 per diskette, this would add less than a dollar to the
cost of Microsoft C. That's .5% of the wholesale price! And at the prices
MS pays for disks, the difference would be more like .10 total, if there
were any difference at all.]

That's my .001 cent worth! :-)

Pete
-- 
  OOO   __| ___      Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises
 OOOOOOO___/ _______ USPS: 19611 La Mar Court, Cupertino, CA 95014
  OOOOO \___/        UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete
___| \_____          Phone: 408/996-7746