🚀 go-pugleaf

Frank Campbell writes:

>...Wild accusations with vague references to supporting evidence.

Hi Frank,

The original article appeared in the November 28 issue of Computer
Reseller News and was written by one of their editors, Joel Shore.
A technically-competent sounding DEC engineer posted an explanation
of the R&D  work DEC is doing to correct the problems.  For your 
information, the article started off with:


MUM'S THE WORD:  Keeping StorageWorks flaw quiet

                      DIGITAL LOSES GOODWILL

The Computer Reseller News Test Center proved beyond the shadow of
a doubt that the presence of a household brand name is no guarantee
that a product is worthy of carrying that name.

Pity poor Digital Equipment.  In good faith, the embattled company 
submitted StorageWorks, its RAID storage subsystem to the Test Center
for evaluation.  The Test Center's engineering staff was delighted to 
have an up-close-and-personal look at this important product...

It turns out that a known engineering fault exists in Digital's 
StorageWorks RAID system:  Remove and replace a drive too often and 
you'll blow a diode that in brings the entire system to a screeching 
halt.  But there is more.  The unit on display in the Digital booth was 
having fits as well.  And to make matters worse, the StorageWorks product 
manager admitted onstage during his Test Center interview that the 
problem has been recognized for nearly the entire four months since the 
company began shipping the product.

Such brazen disregard for resellers cannot pass without comment.  
Although an engineering change is in the works, the company knowingly 
continues to ship a product shackled with a potentially--and 
likely--fatal flaw.......

And while the band plays on the sinking ship Digital, the company is 
admitting it knew all along that a problem existed.......

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This sinking ship stuff surely gets carried too far.  The people here at
StorComp think DEC has been, continues to be, and will be a fine company, 
generating super products such as the Alpha.  One does wonder if Ken had 
still been running DEC, with his commitment to engineering excellence, 
whether these ECOs would have been necessary.

Mike Willett
Storage Computer Corp.
11 Riverside Street
Nashua, NH 03062
Tel. 603-880-3005

::::::::::::::::::::::::::VAX & Alpha acceleration:::::::::::::::::::::::