jbvb@VAX.FTP.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (03/14/89)
Mr. Saal: Your own employees have also been known to answer posted questions with information about your product. I don't have any of them to hand, but I recall them as 1) informative and useful re: Sniffers, 2) not mentioning your competition, 3) not discussing any negative aspects of your product. In my public answers to questions, I attempt to be balanced, and either provide a summary of the whole market (or as much of it as I am aware of), or give details and trade-offs about our contribution to it. I don't promise perfection, but the feedback I have gotten has been almost entirely positive (you are the exception, to date). Mr. Peck's message had three classes of content: First, a demonstration of how useful network monitoring equipment can be (many users are amazed at the actual content of their cables). Second, information about HP's having remedied a widely-discussed deficiency (perhaps a dozen postings in 1988, across the lists/groups I read) in their product. Third, an enthusiastic recommendation for it. The first is indirectly a commercial for the whole concept of network monitors. The last you criticize as "commercial", but I didn't find it significantly worse than what I consider average for vendor employees. Myself, I am pleased each time another vendor-connected net-person is heard from, because it means the net has gotten bigger, and represents a better resource to its users. If you and Mr. Peck can be relied on to post current information in replies to relevant questions, I will be happy. Globally, it means the network community will be better informed, and personally, I won't feel compelled to type so much. James B. VanBokkelen 26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA 01880 FTP Software Inc. voice: (617) 246-0900 fax: (617) 246-0901