vsh@uunet.uu.net (Steve Harris) (01/16/89)
I just received the December 88 Software Technical Bullitin (STB) from Sun. I put it in my binder and re-discover that I have not received the Mar, Jun, Jul, Oct, or Nov 88 issues. I recall that when I previously brought the missing STBs issue to Sun, they said their records indicated the STBs had been shipped. I asked them to send duplicates; they said they would, but never did (at least I never received them!). By now I have become resigned to this kind of "service" from Sun. My question to the sunspots readers is: Have you received all your STBs from Sun? Any? Some? Is my experience typical? ********** FLAME ON ********** It never ceases to amaze me how little attention Sun pays to its end-user community, particularly in the form of useful documentation. (Not to mention answerline response -- when was the last time they returned your call within 24 hours, as specified by the contract?) One would think a company with the extraordinary success Sun has had would find a way to put a little time and money into making their end-users' lives a little easier. The USENIX organization, on a comparative shoestring budget, has managed to reprint the entire 4.3 BSD manual set, in 9" X 6" format, and sell it for $60. Sun, on the other hand, charges $150 (or is it $200 now) for 8.5" X 11" format manual set which takes up 4' of desktop space. And is incomplete (where are the detailed descriptions of SED and AWK???)! For the money Sun charges, we deserve better than this! COME ON SUN, WAKE UP. IF YOU DON'T, A LOT OF USERS WILL START LOOKING FOR OTHER VENDORS WHO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THEIR END-USERS' NEEDS. ********** FLAME OFF ********** Steve Harris -- Eaton Corp. -- Beverly, MA -- uunet!etnibsd!vsh
trinkle@purdue.edu (01/19/89)
We did receive our November issue (no October), but you have to be
patient. It did not arrive until after the December issue (:-) Maybe they
use a different calendar in California.
Daniel Trinkle trinkle@cs.purdue.edu
Dept. of Computer Sciences {backbone}!purdue!trinkle
Purdue University 317-494-7844
West Lafayette, IN 47907jdh@bu-it.bu.edu (Jason Heirtzler) (01/21/89)
In Volume 7, Issue 104 Steve Harris (etnibsd!vsh@uunet.uu.net) says: > I recall that when I previously brought the missing STBs issue to Sun, > they said their records indicated the STBs had been shipped. I asked them > to send duplicates; they said they would, but never did (at least I never > received them!). Which brings up an important question: Why aren't STBs available to us on magnetic media ?? I would even settle for an anonymous FTP source ! STBs are sometimes roughly an inch thick, and it's nearly impossible to dig up the relevant info in reasonable time. Assume you could search through one volume in five minutes, and assume you have two years worth of STBs to search (one per month) .. Our support is largely email driven and we need to be able to search by a keyword. Apparently Sun does have a dial-in service where you can search through their database of bug reports. We would probably need a dedicated connection. Obviously no good. I've talked to our local salesman and also a customer marketing rep from the East coast to no avail. I think the only reasoning they will listen to is the will of the masses. Wake up, Sun ! ---Jason Heirtzler software support jdh@bu-it.bu.edu