citdem@UAVAX0.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU (04/25/91)
Some folks who ordered the Cube got the 040 board, SR2.0 and the 2.88 PLI drive free. I am one of those. Or at least I am supposed to be. I got my 040 board 8 weeks ago. My Improv + T-shirt 1 week ago. But I've heard absolutely nothing about the PLI drive. I saw some folks got postcards from NeXTConnection a while back. But not me, not yet. I'm curious. Am I alone or are any of you still waiting on your PLI drive? As an aside, I really cannot fathom how NeXT conducts business. The net effect, IMHO, demonstrates an environment where confusion and disorganization prevail. I think anyone who deals with a new (?) company has to be patient and deal with delays, errors, etc. But why does NeXT make the decisions it does? If NeXT says (in October) that they are going to give me a free drive, then why wasn't it delivered with the 040 board? Why make me (us) wait? If SR2.0 is buggy, why charge us for no-new-features (or maybe even-less- features, if you use PostScript) bug-fixing SR2.1? Why is NeXT so QUIET? NeXT, I think needs to think of NeXT owners as an extended-family marketing force and make some attempts to keep us happy. WE meet more potential customers every day than paid NeXT salesfolks do in a week. If we grump, NeXT loses. If we're happy, others wonder why and investigate. We use NeXTs and NeXT uses us. Symbiosis. It works. D. McCollam (citdem@uavax0.ccit.arizona.edu) (I have to use a VAX for e-mail; so only ASCII responses are legible.)
citdem@UAVAX0.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU (04/25/91)
Again, I see some suggesting that upgrading to 2.1 is unnecessary unless
you have a color NeXTStation. Personally, I want the illusion that my
machine is reliable. So I want any and all bug fixes. What I don't need
today I may run tomorrow - bugs and all.
I do agree with the reference to the VAX ("ughh!!"), however. One survives
with the tools at hand. (At home, however, is a NeXTCube.)citdem@UAVAX0.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU (04/25/91)
Well, I'm not sure I appreciate your attitude (or is it your since of
humor?); but thanks for the advice. As you suggested I called
800 848 6398 and talked to a nice lady named Carol. Sure enough, I'm
due a PLI drive and sure enough, my name is not on their list. It is now
so thanks for the help.
BTW this is my NeXT related boo-boo list:
Placed order for printer. "Alls ok" says everybody. Six weeks later
I get uppity. Guess what, NeXT never entered order into their system.
(It was found on somebodys desk.)
Placed order for OD cleaning kits. Bookstore forgets the order.
Expected PLI drive. Name not on list.
Ordered 660MB drive; actually got HP 635MB drive.
Replaced drive with right model; got MEDIA ERROR messages.
Ran NeXT Diagnostics, which requires rebuild.
However, all-in-all, even if I don't care for NeXT, the company, NeXT people
are 100% top-of-the-line good folks. Even you - thanks.cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu (04/26/91)
In article <00947A6C.16166480@UAVAX0.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU> citdem@UAVAX0.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU writes:
I've heard
absolutely nothing about the PLI drive. I saw some folks got postcards
from NeXTConnection a while back. But not me, not yet.
contact NeXT at 800 848 6398. I think you were supposed to receive a
card which you would send to NeXTconnection. They are the ones who
will be shipping you the PLI drive.
As an aside, I really cannot fathom how NeXT conducts business.
As compared to, say, the government?
If NeXT says (in October) that they are going to give me a free drive,
then why wasn't it delivered with the 040 board?
because the drives are not NeXT drives and NeXT is supporting
NeXTconnection by running the orders through them, would be my guess.
If SR2.0 is buggy, why charge us for no-new-features (or maybe even-less-
features, if you use PostScript) bug-fixing SR2.1?
Fyi, 95% of the bug-fixes in 2.1 do not involve bugs at all. The
update incorporates stuff for the color machines, all of which are
shipping with version 2.1 installed. So unless your system falls into
the subset of systems needing the few minor bug fixes that got thrown
into 2.1, you don't need to update.
Why is NeXT so QUIET?
why do you say NeXT is so quiet? I've seen press releases about all
this stuff.
(I have to use a VAX for e-mail; so only ASCII responses are
legible.)
ughh!!
--
"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster,
and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzschemadler@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Mark Adler) (04/26/91)
In article <CNH5730.91Apr25123642@maraba.tamu.edu> cnh5730@maraba.tamu.edu writes: > As an aside, I really cannot fathom how NeXT conducts business. > >As compared to, say, the government? If we have to start comparing NeXT to the government to make it look good, then NeXT is in *really* bad shape. Personally, I think NeXT is doing pretty well for its age and size. >Fyi, 95% of the bug-fixes in 2.1 do not involve bugs at all. The >update incorporates stuff for the color machines, all of which are >shipping with version 2.1 installed. So unless your system falls into >the subset of systems needing the few minor bug fixes that got thrown >into 2.1, you don't need to update. Spouting the NeXT party line again, hmmm? Fyi, 2.1 fixes a serious, no, a crippling bug in 2.0 when run on 68040 machines. Many optimized floating point calculations will crash the machine. And just for good measure, it crashes the machine to the point that only pulling the plug will get it back. What this amounts to is a computer than cannot compute. (Yes, I've posted this before, but apparently it deserves repeating.) NeXT has not been forthright about this, as a company, even though individual employees of NeXT have been helpful concerning this problem. In short, don't believe NeXT when they say most 2.0 users won't need to upgrade. Upgrade if at all possible. If you don't, and you have or plan to get an 040, you'll get nailed sooner or later. Mark Adler madler@pooh.caltech.edu