Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!netxcom!dlarsen
From: dlarsen@netxcom.UUCP (Dave Larsen)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Microsoft OnLine
Keywords: OnLine
Message-ID: <1247@netxcom.UUCP>
Date: 17 May 89 13:59:57 GMT
Organization: NetExpress Communications, Inc., Vienna, VA
Lines: 38

I have read a lot of articles concerning Microsoft OnLine.  They all
complain about the price and the fact that it is a prerequisite purchase
to get prerelease development software.  I have seen the same things
and I also don't like it.

My company used to subscribe to Microsoft Dial which was the predecessor
to OnLine.  We had the service for one year.  This was supposed to be
the vehicle to get support from Microsoft.  My company is doing Windows
development and during our learning curve we thought this would be an aid
in answering the questions we had during our learning process.  I found
that Microsoft was very sluggish in responding to our requests and was
usually very incomplete in their answers.  We were able to get more support
from other users subscribed to Dial either by getting a response directly
or by reading of someone elses comments.  I can get this same support
from this newsgroup!  I could not justify the expense of this service for
another year.

I get literature and phone calls from Microsoft constantly now asking me
to subscribe to OnLine.  The cost for this service is about $480 a year.
I cannot justify spending that amount of money for a service that other
companies provide at no cost!

Wouldn't it be to Microsoft's advantage to provide this service at no cost?
It is not a great expense to maintain a bulletin board.  Developers are
needed to write software so that the products Microsoft develops are useful
to the market when they are released.  Developers already are paying for
the SDK's necessary to write software to support Microsoft products.
Why should these developers also pay when they need support from Microsoft
so that they will be able to provide support for Microsoft?!

These are my own opions and do not necessarily reflect coorporate opion.
I am however currently evaluating X-Windows and we as a coorporation are
considering switching to this environment for future windows applications.
I would like to read more views of others concerning OnLine, especially
those of people from Microsoft.  I have found Microsoft employee's views
enlightening.

						Dave Larsen