From: fr@compu.com (Fred Rump from home)
Subject: Re: PC Unix/Xenix vendors
Organization: CompuData Inc.
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 06:26:22 GMT

karl@ddsw1.mcs.com (Karl Denninger) writes:

>EVER?  You must spend a hell of a lot of time uucping files and fixes
>around (especially since that TCP/IP protocol set for SCO is another what?
>$1000?)  And just how do you do "one shots" at your customer site when
>something comes up?  Can you emulate <EXACTLY> the conditions at <EVERY>
>customer you have ever installed in your lab?

Fixes for what? If there is a problem we simply log in. What's the big deal? 
Most customers really are not the same and software maintenance is a bitch, 
but this has nothing to do with UNIX. We simply document well. :-)

Currently I think there are 13 programmers supporting customers under 
contractual agreements to keep things humming. These people work closely with 
all the service people to isolate problems and resolve them ASAP. Our typical 
fix response is 4 hours up and down the East coast.


>I find that a development system is nearly a must at many end-user sites.
>Not only for me -- but for the other guy who that person buys software
>from.  One site in particular needs it because their accounting package
>gets patched and upgraded frequently (provided by another person) and HE
>needs the compiler.

There is a difference here and it may explain what bothers you. I would say 
the great majority of our sites run a Business Basic interpretive language 
which can be fixed on the fly. Mass-90, our software and much that is a 
remnant from various mini-computers are a huge base out there in small 
businessland. Perhaps if programs would require compilation, a development 
system would be appropriate. But I sure as hell wouldn't want to make C code 
changes on the fly and expect all to go well.  


>If you install all "off the shelf" systems then I would agree that it is
>unnecessary.  I find that most people don't stay that way for long however;
>they want <something> unique on their machine, and then you will wish you
>had the ability to type "cc" or "make" and get something other than
>"not found".

It is all more or less modified off-the-shelf. There is very little from 
scratch development that a normal client could afford to pay for. Such 
software would cost many, many times the value of their hardware and they will 
simply not spend it to get that much uniqueness into their operation. They 
will rather make do or make changes over time under our normal support 
provisions. 

>>It is called a system of resource maximization.
>For you, yes.  SCO does provide that, I will grant you that.

You see. We agree after all.

>Only by day Fred, only by day.  You'll note that I post this kind of stuff
>from my home on the off hours.

Tough life.  Satisfy the needs of the day, the old customers AND the net.
Perhaps there is even a wife in the combination for the night?

Fred

-- 
W. Fred Rump 	office:	   fred@COMPU.COM     "A man's library is a sort of 
26 Warren St.   home: fr@icdi10.compu.com 	harem" - Emerson (1860) 
Beverly, NJ. 08010                          		 
609-386-6846    bang:uunet!cdin-1!icdi10!fr   
Newsgroups: comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit,comp.unix.sys5.r4,comp.unix.sys5.r3,biz.sco.general