Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!UCSD.EDU!sd%chem From: sd%chem@UCSD.EDU (Steve Dempsey) Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi Subject: Re: just installed a PI Message-ID: <9001052038.AA04494@chem.chem.ucsd.edu> Date: 5 Jan 90 20:38:31 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 30 >Date: 5 Jan 90 12:25:10 GMT >From: Steve Lamont >Organization: Foo Bar Brewers Cooperative >References: <4411@amelia.nas.nasa.gov> > >> >>I was extremely impressed by the documentation (quantity-I haven't had >>the time to judge quality yet) ... > >Huh? All we got was one funky little User's Manual with our 4D/20. The >fellow that set it up had problems getting it on the network because >there was not sufficient information -- spent a lot of time on the hotline >and on the phone with the salesperson, ferreting out documentation. The problem here is that you don't get the complete documentation UNLESS you order the SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT OPTION, even though most of the docs have nothing to do with software development. As Steve Lamont noted, configuring the network software for anything but the simplest situation requires more info than one can get from the User's Manual. It seems that SGI could do it's future customers (and those harried folks manning the HOTLINE) a favor by including sufficient documentation to operate the basic hardware, or by having an explicit DOCUMENTATION option for those folks who don't want to be tempted by the evils of software development. However, I would consider it to be one of those oxymoronic 'mandatory options'. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Dempsey (619) 534-0208 Dept. of Chemistry Computer Facility, B-014 INTERNET: sdempsey@ucsd.edu University of Calif. at San Diego BITNET: sdempsey@ucsd La Jolla, CA 92093 UUCP: ucsd!sdempsey