Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!jxh
From: jxh@cup.portal.com (Jim - Hickstein)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Microsoft OnLine
Message-ID: <18690@cup.portal.com>
Date: 23 May 89 03:22:24 GMT
References: <1247@netxcom.UUCP> <5743@microsoft.UUCP> <26787@mirror.UUCP>
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 71

In article (portal is a pain) billc@mirror.TMC.COM writes:
> I think that comp.windows.ms should be viewed as a real boon to Microsoft.
> Think about it:  anybody with access to usenet who's developing a Windows
> application is going to read it.  They can also write to it.  You guys are
> hooked up to it, and from your point of view, distribution is virtually
> free.  It would cost a lot of money to set up a medium like this yourself,
> and then you'd have to market it.

GE set up a medium like this (arguably) and sells it to organizations like
Microsoft.  I think that the ante for ONLINE puts it out of the reach of
most of the people who need it.  I just barely managed to get my employer to
buy it, and then only bundled as part of the OS/2 SDK, which $3K squeaked
on the way out the door.  As for my personal development system, it's out of
the question.

> I don't think that this can or should replace the other support services you
> offer, but I think it can compliment [sic] them immensely.  Even if you just had
> one employee monitoring the newsgroup and answering questions (not all the
> questions, just the ones that s/he has time for in whatever time the person
> has set aside for this) it would be a big plus to the developers who read
> this, and I'd say very good for PR.  How much different is it really from
> getting a letter or a phone call?  And when you consider that you've solved
> the problem for the other readers, too, I'd say you're ahead.

Hear, hear!  I use ONLINE in the mode described: read about others' problems
first, then plead for more help, but the range of other problems is quite
limited; I've apparently been the first to run into everything that wasn't
just RTFM.  It seems that if the net were used more widely by
Microsoft for this sort of thing that many more such questions would be
answered by the writing on the wall and would take such a load off the support
staff that it could easily justify at least one full-time USENET contact
within their organization, along the lines of Gerry Wheeler at MKS, from
which company they could learn much.  In fact, different user names could
be set up to route requests to the appropriate group once this is established
by the front-line contact person or just common sense.

> Just my thoughts.  I'm a Windows developer.  We have OnLine.  We use it, and
> we're going to continue to use it, but I also read this newsgroup, and find
> it valuable in a different way.

*flame on
I use it only when provoked.  I find it painful, but sometimes worth the
effort.  Just one actual flame: any MS-DOS application that REQUIRES 596KB
of RAM to operate is in a category I call arrogant.  It has its own vanilla
boot disk in order to clear the decks for its ravings, but even this is
painful.  In fairness, the information obtained with this method has been
accurate and complete if not quite timely, but seldom gives a feeling of
satisfaction.  The usual transaction goes: (me) Hey!  This is broken!
(them) Yes, we know.  Here is an ugly workaround that you already thought of
until you can afford to buy the next release (SPEND MONEY), when it becomes
available later this decade.
*flame off

Actually, the people behind ONLINE are knowledgable and helpful, even if they
seldom have the answer I want to hear.  It's the delivery of this service that
needs improvement, and USENET should definitely be explored.  I want to thank
the few individuals at Microsoft who, apparently on their own time and expense,
undertake to follow this group and respond to our questions.  I just hope we
can convince your bosses that you're on the right track.  Keep up the good
work.

-Jim Hickstein
OS/2 PMSDK Masochists Group  :-)
VSAT Systems, Inc.
San Jose, CA
jxh@cup.portal.com
...!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!jxh
---
IBM: Immediately Buy Memory.
"Even as computers get faster and faster, all it takes is more software to
slow them down.  MS: More Software." -me