🚀 go-pugleaf

ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch) writes:
> Be that as it may, CIS is not a practical solution for many people.
> I know a guy who accesses it only through TAPCIS during off hours, and
> still ends up spending $50/month.  That seems to be the bare minimum
> to do any serious participation there.  Perhaps some people get their
> money's worth (though I suspect most CIS users get corporate discounts
> and/or pass the costs on to their employers), but if a $99 compiler is
> your main development tool....

On 26 Sep 90 22:36:39 GMT, hardin@hpindda.cup.hp.com (John Hardin) said:
John> Though it's easy to rack up a $50/mo bill for CIS, that is definitely
John> not a minimum for reasonable participation....

John> I agree that CIS is not practical for everyone, but I've found it
John> useful enough for myself that I favor Borland products partly for
John> the easy access to support I get over CIS.  

John> BTW, my employer does not help me with my CIS bills and I get no
John> special discount.  

I agree with John on all his points here.  Note also that if
"a $99 compiler is your main development tool", you should not
expect many hours of personalized support.  I think the support
is excellent for the price, and even compared to products costing
five times as much or more.  If you think your $99 entitles you
to better support than Borland gives, then *I* wouldn't want to
sell products to you.  Not that I'm in such a business anyway,
though I do give away software for free on occasion and then
have people demand support - oh, well. :-(

By pushing people to use Compuserve for support, I presume that
Borland keeps there costs a little lower because of the times
that somebody else on Compuserve answers a query, and also because
when Borland does post an answer, many people can see it as well
as the one who asked the question (unless it is specifically posted
privately).
--

Richard Maine
maine@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov [130.134.64.6]