🚀 go-pugleaf

On 14 Dec 1997 04:01:30 GMT, Keith Rohrer <kwrohrer@enteract.com> wrote:
>In article <57CEDE710994F64A.915AB51867D75264.91FE350C67C5CFBF@library-proxy.airnews.net>,
>	e_l_green@hotmail.com (Eric Lee Green) writes:
>> In the meantime, we'll have to blacklist Lexmark on all the Linux-related
>> lists. Let the market show them that they're wrong.
>it if they do...for a direct return of $0 (you're asking them to give 
>stuff away, which they may not be able to give away for free) and an 

Err, I'm not asking anybody to give anything away for free.

I can get the specs for the PCL-5 language by making out a check for $110
to Hewlett-Packard (or just ordering the bloody thing through my local
bookseller for that price, anyhow). 

I can get the specs for the Postscript language by making out a check to
my local bookseller for $33 for Adobe's book.

I have no problem with a vendor charging for programming information,
just with vendors who refuse to either a) provide the info, or b) tell
you where to go for the info. Even if it is along the lines of "You'll
have to join the GDI Consortium for $x, sign a NDA, and buy the
documentation for $Y".

>indirect return of maybe a few more inkjet sales from people who
>weren't smart enough to just get an ghostscript-supported printer
>in the first place...like all of Lexmark's laser printers to date.

Well, I must admit we've had good luck with Lexmark laser printers.
Only had 2 die out of 10 of them during their first 3 years, and those
at schools with grounding problems where we told them they needed an
electrician to come out there and install grounded sockets (they refused
because it was "too expensive"). And we've even occasionally been able
to talk to a real human being within the Lexmark organization, which is
an exception compared to, e.g., Japanese printer companies (where anybody
who knows anything doesn't speak English). 

I just don't agree with companies that either a) don't provide information
on their product that can be used to write Linux/OS2/BeOS/etc. drivers, or
b) don't have any customer support mechanisms for pointing customers towards
that information. Either way is poor customer service. Why should I deal
with companies with poor customer service? If one of our customers call
they get a real person on the phone (no Voice Mail Hell, that's one thing
my boss is right about, he absolutely refuses to authorize a voice mail
system), and they get to talk to a programmer within one transfer if the
customer service rep and his boss don't know the answer. Why should I
expect less of MY vendors?

That's one reason, BTW, why I don't recommend buying printer products from
Brother or Panasonic -- you can't ever get anybody who knows anything on
the phone, possibly because the only people who know anything don't speak
English :-}. Anybody have info on Okidata customer support?

-- 
Eric Lee Green       e_l_green@hotmail.com
   Linux & Educational Administration computer solutions