Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!mcvax!hp4nl!esatst!arne
From: arne@yc.estec.nl (Arne Lundberg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: 24 bit X11R2/R3 server availible?
Message-ID: <1017@esatst.yc.estec.nl>
Date: 6 Apr 89 15:26:57 GMT
References: <8YBHeFy00hMN8GUkZb@cs.cmu.edu> <5570142@hpfcdc.HP.COM>
Reply-To: arne@esatst.UUCP (Arne Lundberg)
Organization: ESTEC/YCV, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Lines: 43

In article <5570142@hpfcdc.HP.COM> stroyan@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Mike Stroyan) writes:
> The 3.1
> release is now in the process of being distributed.  I don't know how long
> it takes all of the customers on update services to get copies.

I would guess that the distribution process is quite slow for HP.  I
am currently waiting for the complete distribution of 3.0.  I have got
piles of manuals, maybe 15 tapes but I am still missing some of the
parts.  Maybe only the HP-UX tape(s) but it is not easy to know.

The history of this distribution and some other related stuff is quite
long (and interesting :-( ) :

Beginning of 88:We order a second LANIC board for the machine 

Oct 88: 	We order X11 for the 800
Oct 88: 	The Installing X On the Series 800 is printed

Nov 88: 	The Release notes for 3.0 is printed

15-Feb 88: 	We get a letter saying that 3.0 will be to us
		shipped between 20/2 - 10/3

Mars 88: 	We get X11 for the 800, Can only be used with 3.0
Mars 88: 	The 3.0 distribution starts coming in. Currently we have got
	 	at least 25 boxes during the last 4 weeks.

April 88: 	We get the LANIC board. New version, (can only run with 3.0?)

Notice the long delays for X11 and the LANIC board which I believe is
due to their dependency of 3.0 .  I don't mind getting newer faster
hardware or working software but I would think that SOME INFORMATION
would not be TO MUCH to ask for during the waiting period. (We have
asked HP in The Netherlands several times but have not got any
sensible response).

Why does it have to take so long time to get the software to Europe?
Is it really necessary to split up a UNIX distribution into this many
small pieces? I would prefer to get ONE BIG box with the required
manuals and a MINIMUM number of tapes to load. Loading all these 15 tapes
must take forever.

-- Arne Lundberg, ESTEC/YCV, The Netherlands