cooper@beno.CSS.GOV (Dale Cooper) (02/26/91)
And they ask me why I drink. Just when all of the wonderful news from Belmont exclaiming Oracle's return to profitability (Oracle News February 1991) hits my desk, the reality of SERVICE vs SALES hits me like a speeding freight train without any brakes. Yes, folks it sure is great news hearing that after some time, Oracle Corp is "Back in The Black." It says right here in black and white that second quarter revenues increased some 29 percent to $269 million from $209 million in the same period last year. Boy, I wish I was a stock holder. I've had the pleasure to read this great article since I have had virtually nothing to do while I wait for my promised upgrade from a dangerously volatile version 6.0.27 for DEC RISC to the latest and greatest version 6.0.30 (which incidentally was formally ordered February 5, in the year of our Lord 1991). In the back of your mind you may say, "haven't I heard this guy whine about Oracle on the net before?" Perhaps yes. Then again whining is my favorite way of sending a message....just ask my wife. "Honeeeeeyyyy, the cable TV is broken!!! Do you think we should call themmmm so they can fixxxxxxxx itttttt? You know how much I haaaaaaaate to miss Mr Eddddddd." I can't say that the time I have waited has been completely wasted, no, no. I have spent a lot of time reading posts about other vendor's products. I have had plenty of time planning alternate forms of employment after my boss cans my butt for not having the new version installed for the big international data test coming up in the next month. I've always wanted to be a pin setter at a bowling alley. Unlimited beer, a boom box cranking out Merl Haggard at 120 decibels, a folding chair in the back and an opportunity to do demanding things like reset pins after a bowler named Harvey accidentally hits the reset button in a burst of excitement. To be fair, I have indeed done some relevant work. I've recently learned (the hard way) that Oracle has problems with raw devices on a RISC BOX in that it waits until you've loaded gargantuan tables before it complains about corrupt blocks. Why that sort of thing isn't handled up front is beyond me. I didn't bother calling it in. I absolutely hate "talking" to automated service programs. Besides, with my previous experiences, sometimes it's best to just attack the problem yourself. Why something so basic such as marking bad blocks within a raw device could possibly be so difficult is beyond me. Maybe it's so tech support has something to do, you know, like the Maytag Man. Looking back at the article it goes on to blab seemingly endlessly in regard to sales, sales, sales. Not one sentence in this thing approaches the concept of quality control, customer satisfaction, reliability, responsibility... Nope, not anywhere. It seems blatantly obvious to me that Mr Ellison and company only care about one thing and it ain't sitting in this chair. As the sun once again sets in the west, I wonder where my new version of Oracle is. I kick back in my government furnished Lazy-Boy office chair where my mind wanders off to a place far-far away. At first I see palm trees, sand and shimmering waters. Is this paradise or the Middle East? Considering my predicament, it seems like the latter. Suddenly the phone rings and jolts me from my day dream. It's my sidekick in San Diego. Seems that my prayers have mysteriously been answered, kind of. The new version has arrived - in San Diego. Just another jump to DC (courtesy of Fed-Ex and our overhead contract). Well, close enough...at least it's in the continental US. "Excuse me!?!?! A patch tape for Oracle 6.0.27 for DEC VAX...Oh, geez. I thought we cleared that up with Oracle months ago? Oh, we did. I see. Maybe it got lost in the reorganization. Ya think they ever lose purchase orders?" Golly. I was kind of hoping that things would finally fall into place. That once again I would have work...that my butt wouldn't be in a sling. I could put my alternate employment plans on the back burner for now. Wait, another call. It's the local public library. Seems they just received a new book about Spalding automatic pin setting machines. Seems that's all automated now. *sigh* This just isn't my day. Oh, well. Maybe cutting bait on a charter boat would be more enjoyable... afterall, same perks...with some sun tossed in. Dale Cooper DBA Center for Seismic Studies Arlington, VA [standard disclaimers here]
jean@beno.CSS.GOV (Jean Anderson) (02/27/91)
Regarding Message-ID: <49469@seismo.CSS.GOV> cooper@beno.CSS.GOV (Dale Cooper): > Suddenly the phone rings and jolts me from my day dream. It's my sidekick in > San Diego. Being the sidekick in San Diego.... Apparently ORACLE recently changed its shipping procedures. Murphy's Law dictates that serious disruptions in service are guaranteed to happen when the need for reliable service is the greatest. No doubt somebody else is stewing over the DEC RISC 6.0.30 release they received when they desperately need the DEC VAX 6.0.27 bug fix they ordered. (Uh, if you recognize yourself in this, give me a call at the number below. Maybe we could swap TK50's.) In the meantime, ORACLE folks on the support side have bent over backwards to get the distribution to our Washington site when shipping couldn't and I'd like to give them a hearty Thank You and a big pat on the back. - Jean Anderson, DBA SAIC Geophysics Division, Mailstop 12 10210 Campus Point Drive San Diego, CA 92121 jean@seismo.css.gov -or- jean@esosun.css.gov (619)458-2727