Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: Re: DECstation 3100
Message-ID: <6675@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 22 Apr 89 04:02:54 GMT
References: <4706@decvax.dec.com> <88320@felix.UUCP> <1903@umbc3.UMBC.EDU> <17023@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 30

In article <17023@mimsy.UUCP> steve@fnord.umiacs.umd.edu (Steven D. Miller) writes:
> 
> I don't think that DEC is wrong for selling diskless 8MB DS3100 systems.
> There might actually be some people Out There who can use them -- I can
> think of a secretary down the hall who would probably be thrilled to have
> one.  The onus is on the purchaser to make sure that the system being
> purchased will fulfill all the right requirements.  That's why I have mostly
> 12MB (or more) DS3100s, and that's why I have at least one RZ55 on each one.
> (Sun will happily sell you a diskless Sun-4 of any variety, but would you
> buy a diskless SPARCstation 390?)

Yes, but the onus is also on DEC and it's salespersons to recommend
appropriate configurations to fit their best understanding of the
customers needs, and also to avoid misrepresentations, either explicit
or implicit, that a hardware configuration with known limitations
will satisfy the customers requirements, without clearly presenting
the tradeoffs.

Hopefully they are doing this, as DEC has no obvious need of "wadda ya mean,
you wanted both an engine *and* tires?" sales tactics...

Personally I feel diskless work stations are a little bit like cars
without engines, sure you can get around as long as there is somebody
to give you a tow, but you'd be an awful lot happier if you had bought
the conventional configuration.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)