jeffw@objy.com (Jeff Wallace) (04/04/91)
In article <1991Apr2.155353.2031@mathcs.sjsu.edu>, horstman@mathcs.sjsu.edu (Cay Horstmann) writes: |> In article <23964@well.sf.ca.us> al@well.sf.ca.us (Alfred Fontes) writes: |> >sidney@borland.com (Sidney Markowitz) writes: |> > |> >>I have established an email address, bugs@borland.com, to which people |> >>In most cases, bugs@borland.com will not send confirmation, fixes or |> >>workarounds in response to problem reports. |> > |> >So why should anyone take the |> |> Let me finish Alfred's post: |> trouble to send stuff there? |> |>Why indeed, Sidney? Can't you guys at minimum acknowledge that you got the |>stuff?... (valid points deleted) If you've been following Sidney's posts you've surely seen his comments about the fact that most of the company doesn't have access to the net. Sometimes people on the net forget that PC software companies are quite likely to be unaware of Usenet. Once in a while a lone person from a PC software vendor wanders into the net. He normally answers questions to the best of his ability and occasionally passes things on to others inside his company. After a few months of this he invariably will get flamed, roasted and personally attacked for the shortcomings of (pick one): the company, its products, its customer service, its upgrade policy, his parentage. Since the person is not getting paid to deal with net flames, he generally disappears from the net for months or years taking the meager presence of company X with him. Sidney is the only Borland voice on the net right now. From his signature it's obvious that he isn't a tech support or marketing rep. He's from (I quote) "Borland International (Languages - R&D)". So don't shoot him for trying to be helpful. This "bugs@borland.com" mailbox may be the beginning of a real Usenet presence for Borland. It may also be a black hole into which things disappear, but it's an option that wasn't there until Sidney set it up. If you have to get an answer from tech support or customer service, then CALL them. Until such time as Borland puts support people on the net that's the best way to get a problem/question resolved. If you are going to demand that Borland offer Usenet support I doubt complaining to Sidney will help. Pick up pen and paper (or word processor) and write a letter to Borland. From Sidney's postings I get the impression that more Borland people will be on the net in the future. Give them a chance.
gribble@ogre.cica.indiana.edu (04/05/91)
agreed...how many other companies are even trying to do this type of thing. -- ************************************************************************** * Steve Gribble (812) 855-9172/7629 gribble@cica.cica.indiana.edu * Systems Manager, Inst. of Social Research swg@socmail.soc.indiana.edu * Dept. of Sociology, Indiana University gribble@iubacs
horstman@mathcs.sjsu.edu (Cay Horstmann) (04/05/91)
In article <1991Apr4.015027.2680@objy.com> jeffw@objy.com writes: > >If you've been following Sidney's posts you've surely seen his comments >about the fact that most of the company doesn't have access to the net. > >Sometimes people on the net forget that PC software companies are quite >likely to be unaware of Usenet. Once in a while a lone person from a PC >software vendor wanders into the net. > >He normally answers questions to the best of his ability and occasionally >passes things on to others inside his company. After a few months of this >he invariably will get flamed, roasted and personally attacked for the >shortcomings of (pick one): the company, its products, its customer service, >its upgrade policy, his parentage. Since I was the one who complained originally, let me set the record straight. I did NOT intend to flame at all. I tried to make the constructive suggestion that Borland try to offer us a deal--check against a bug list before posting, and in return we get an acknowledgment. Sidney gives a pretty convincing argument that this isn't going to work out. Let's face it, Borland has a good track record in their C++ development, and I have no reason to flame them for anything. I think it is a good thing that they are moving to the net and don't limit their support to Compuserve. Cay
gpsteffl@sunee.waterloo.edu (Glenn Steffler) (04/06/91)
In article <1991Apr4.015027.2680@objy.com> jeffw@objy.com writes: >Sometimes people on the net forget that PC software companies are quite >likely to be unaware of Usenet. Once in a while a lone person from a PC >software vendor wanders into the net. Please...I know of several who are. Microsoft is on usenet, but most of the time can't afford to get too invloved because their programmers are extremely busy. Several MS people post. I did when I was there. If a PC company hires people like me (university graduates in math/engineering) they would likely be convinced that usenet is a good thing. Gold Disk will be on the net in a month, simply because they now realize the importantance of the feedback is in this (and other) newsgroups. Why would PC venders be less likely to be on the net? I realize the fact that most net nodes are based on unix, but this doesn't stop a PC company from aquiring access. Ohh, just remembered, I believe word perfect has access as well. Just thought I'd let you know. -- Windows Sumo Wrestler "Bo doesn't know software" - George Brett --(Windows 3.0, a combination of modern moodring technology and voodoo)-- "I guess she had a way, of making every night seem bright as day" `I Don't Believe In Love` -Queensryche (Oper. Mindcrime) Glenn Steffler
plim@hpsgwp.sgp.hp.com (Peter Lim) (04/09/91)
Just wondering. If Borland were to formally setup technical support on
usenet and start taking questions and answering them, won't that
become USING (or ABUSING) USENET FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSE ? Isn't that
something forbidden by the rule ?
Don't get me wrong. I for one above most people wanted to be able to
get tech support this way. I am in Singapore --- and any other way of
getting tech support is just to bloody expensive. .... I just asked
because I am curious how the usenet rule works.
Regards, ___o``\________________________________________________ ___ __ _ _
Peter Lim. V````\ @ @ . .. ... .- -> 76 MIPS at under US$20K !! --- -- - -
/.------------------------------------------------ === == = =
>--_// . .. ... .- -> 57 MIPS at under US$12K !!
`' . If you guessed SUN, IBM or DEC, your are wrong !
E-mail: plim@hpsgwg.HP.COM Snail-mail: Hewlett Packard Singapore,
Tel: (065)-279-2289 (ICDS, ICS)
Telnet: 520-2289 1150 Depot Road,
Singapore 0410.
#include <standard_disclaimer.hpp>sidney@borland.com (Sidney Markowitz) (04/10/91)
plim@hpsgwp.sgp.hp.com (Peter Lim) writes: >Just wondering. If Borland were to formally setup technical support on >usenet and start taking questions and answering them, won't that >become USING (or ABUSING) USENET FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSE ? Isn't that >something forbidden by the rule ? Our connection is to the Internet via NSFNET, which is federally funded and subject to strict guidelines about non-commercial use. Free technical support for members of educational and research institutions and for commercial organizations that have legitimate access to the net so they can support educational and research institutions (and so on, recursively) seems to fall within the guidelines. If the technical support is in the form of a mailing list or newsgroup such that many people at the same time get the benefit of the questions and answers, it is even more definitely within the guidelines. -- sidney markowitz <sidney@borland.com>
bright@nazgul.UUCP (Walter Bright) (04/10/91)
In article <1991Apr4.184637.5080@cica.indiana.edu> gribble@ogre.cica.indiana.edu writes:
/agreed...how many other companies are even trying to do this type of thing.
Zortech has been doing it (supporting our products via email) since last
summer. (Well, you asked!) We had been doing it informally for many years
previously.