From: kjv@exucom.com (Karl J. Vesterling)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux
Subject: Re: BYTE asks, is UNIX dead?
Keywords: UNIX
Date: 2 Oct 92 06:53:59 GMT
Organization: ExuCom MultiMedia Inc.

In article <3726@eastman.UUCP> talley@ashleigh.Kodak.COM (Brian K. Talley) writes:
>
>I saw the same thing happen to the Commodore Amiga.  When it was released, it
>was ahead of it's time.  It had superior graphics, sound and I/O slave proces-
>sors that allowed it to run considerably faster in typical applications than
>just about anything else available (in the personal computer market).  It also
>had (has) an operating system vastly superior to MS-DOS. Due to Commodore's
>unbelievably inept and incompetant marketing department, the Amiga has slipped,
>and many now consider it dead.  It certainly isn't - there's still a huge fol-
>lowing - but it's not as "alive" as it could/should be.

	Very true, a lot of corporate entities believe that the
product should stand up for itself.  This is unfortunate, IBM & Apple
spend the most on Advertising/Marketing.  They are also the ones who
sell the most volume.  Why do they need to market the product?  They
*>NEED<* to market the product because the person who walks into the
store, or mailorders the equipment doesn't know, and doesn't want ot
know which is better.  Their bottom line is price/investment, and the
four color glossies.  The glossies affect them emotionally to purchase
the product, this in turn makes it easier for the sales person to sell
the product because the job of emotionally convincing them is done.

	Because they've seen the glossies, and the "hype" they have a
warm feeling in their heart about this machine..  They're gonna think,
"Wait till my friends see this baby."  Their friends will say, "Wow,
you've got the new XYZ from ZZYX, I saw that advertised in ABC
Magazine for $XXXX.00"

	That's what they (the customer) is after.  It doesn't matter
if it multitasks, etc...  The only practical, and the most voiced
reason I hear about people wanting multi-tasking at home is so they
can play a game and download files at the same time.  (Until after I
talk to them... ;-)  Then they want to render, play the popular SGI
demo games, their audio CD's, download from a BBS, and read USENET all
at once...  Then I show them the Spaceball... ;-)  I must say, I've
never had a problem getting a customer emotionally involved in the
sales process with SGI products.  Image what would happen if they
advertised on TV?  Something like the Quadra commercials, but animated
instead...  I think a few heads would turn then.

>
>Fortunately with Unix, AT&T, DEC, SMI, SGI, HP, etc., aren't going to let some
>company like Microsoft get away with telling the world that Unix is dead, and
>NT is the way to go, but MS may try.  This is what bothers me.  By "not caring"
>what the proverbial technotwits think, we (unix users) lose a little bit.
>
>Linux is an excellent OS, both for learning and for serious work. It is because
>of large companies depending on Unix and Unix-like clones that Unix isn't dead,
>and won't be for quite some time (if ever :).
>

	I'm afraid they are...  We're dealers for SGI equipment, and
they're mainly interested in selling to the corporate atmosphere...
We've had a few run ins with SGI corporate sales and our company
here...  It wasn't a pretty sight...  They're saying that the Indigo
is the worlds first RISC *>PC<*, but they're trying to market it as a
workstation.  SGI's direct sales force competes with with the dealers
at every turn.  An SGI Sales Rep actually had the gaul to *>DEMAND<*
that we let him use our demo units to demonstrate to a lead he had.
He even suggested that he borrow the equipment for a day, and return
it the following...  As it turns out, this prospect was 1.5 miles away
from our office!

	In short, they need to re-structure things before we're going
to sign up for dealership after this one is over.

	On the other hand, The America's Cup was a fine exposure for
them.  They've got an excellent product line, it's unsurpassed as far
as graphics go.  And I'd really love to work with/for them no doubt.
But UNIX in general has got to have some marketing done with it.
Something like: 

	How ya gonna do it?

	Yer gonna BS->through it! ;-)  (I'll take credit for that, thanks...)

	As for DEC, they courted us at the same time SGI did...  We
saw their Wonderfull Magical Mystical DecStation 5000 MultiMedia
Wonder.  They did the demo without a machine, and with black and white
overhead projector.  I did however see their video...  At the end I
think a more correct slogan should have been, "And for the Next trick,
I'll stand on my own two feet!"

	Sun was nice, but quite pricy at the time compared to the
Indigo and Crimson price/performance.  I'm pretty sure that holds true
today as well...  (Don't quote me on that...)


>AT&T has had competition for a while now, and up until now, they haven't said
>much (pubically) about it, either.  Exactly why they chose to flex their corp-
>orate muscles now remains to be seen. Perhaps until recently, BSD hadn't really
>advertized their product: it was limited to use by schools, for the most part.
>Now that BSDI has advertized, AT&T/USL may be getting concerned.

	I don't think they need worry, they've got a great installed
base, and their market is mainly very large corporate entities.  The
people who make the final decision as to what to purchase are
convinced not by TV advertising, but in the actual proposal.  They'll
just increase the ammount of four color glossies they give their sales
force.  That's about all...

>
>[please try to keep the flames down to "deep fat fry"]
>

	How about Simmer?

>--Brian [Let's start a comp.os.linux.advocacy newsgroup] Talley

	Agreed, LINUX is available on my system for public download.
People call here, they get used to how things work, and they want it
at home...  Then they download...

	Keep in mind that this is Western NY's first Public Access
UNIX system...

-- 
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kjv@exucom.com				|	I was better, but I got over
Karl J. Vesterling			|	it.