Re: Martin Fink Webcast

On Oct 27, 5:22 pm, Bob Gezelter <gezel...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Oct 27, 3:21 pm, JF Mezei <jfmezei.spam...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Ok, there is one comment I cannot resist because this appears to be a
new spin at HP.

I was startled by Fink's comments about VMS customers not wanting
regular/frequent software upgrades.

Once HP management accepts the brainwahsing that VMS customers don't
want upgrades, it becomes far easier for them to slow down VMS
development to include only support for new devices.

Very dangerous slope.

JF,

The response about "... do want to update their software environments
on a regular basis." was in response to a question about open source
software.

Many open source projects are in a continuous state of flux, versions
appear in some cases on a weekly basis. It is my opinion, reading the
document from the Encompass www server that Mr. Fink's comments in
that regard are correct. The production community does not, in my
experience, want to deal with new component versions on a frequent
basis. This is not about fixes for known problems, these are new
releases with both fixes and new features.

Having had clients where the supported environment is in a constant
state of flux, it is extraordinarily frustrating production
experience.

I would not interpret this comment negatively, it is a comment
directly in response to a particular question, and is, IMHO, a
reasonable response to that question.

- Bob Gezelter,http://www.rlgsc.com

JF,

I hit <send> too soon.

There is northing in Mr. Fink's response indicating that customers do
not want upgrades, merely that they want them at a measured pace.

One does not want to have support dealing with many different versions
of the code, it quickly becomes unmanageable. Think of calling support
and inquiring about a problem:

Customer: I have the following problem .....
Support: What version of this code are you running?
Customer: 5.23-145
Support: Oh, it looks like something like you describe was fixed in
5.23-199; the current version is 5.23-345. The only fix is to upgrade
to the latest version.
Customer: This is a production system, I need a patch kit, if there
is new functionality, I will have to re-qualify the entire
application.
Support: Sorry, they do not do patch kits, only new versions

In the non-OpenVMS aspects of my practice, been there, done that. It
does not make for a good situation.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Help with CryptAcquireContext and Mandatory Profiles!
    ... The customer and their environment made it extremely difficult to troubleshoot this problem efficiently and quickly. ... it was the default Microsoft provider. ... Microsoft Online Community Support ... where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support ...
    (microsoft.public.platformsdk.security)
  • Re: Windows Update Failure; Tech Abaondoned Me
    ... Not sure if you've seen my post, but MS needs the case number to investigate why you have not received a response to your emails. ... With literally thousands of support cases per month, ... customer satisfaction with our support is pretty good. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsupdate)
  • Re: Delphi QC Top Voted
    ... The voting system in QC isn't fair. ... > want unlimited support for free. ... If you don't have my product, you're not my customer;) ... is far more likely to invoke a positive response than the other. ...
    (borland.public.delphi.non-technical)
  • Re: Forged mail addresses
    ... And not every comp-sci major is qualified to support users. ... forces, compressive loads, and moments of inertia, not emulators and virtual ... The correct "comfort zone" for a properly run IT department is one ... doing upgrades tends to do the exact opposite of ...
    (rec.arts.anime.misc)
  • Re: Windows vista will leave too many people behind.
    ... expirience easier, as should hardware upgrades, I remember playing ... games that made a point of being backward compatible, ... It is up to the makers of any product to decide how long they will support ... Want a cell phone but don't want one that gets email - don't buy one. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
Loading