🚀 go-pugleaf

I've seen many references to DEC shipping delays recently here and in the
press, mostly concerning DAT drives and newer VAX configurations.  I haven't
seen mention of delays in the DECstation line, other than the problems getting
Ultrix 4.0 out.  But now suddenly our salesguys are saying there is a terrible
shortage of DS5000's and delivery dates are anybody's guess.  I'm getting
increasingly disimpressed by DEC's performance...am I just seeing them at
a bad point in their history or what?  Here's the deal:

1. Early May: put in PO for DS5000's.  Purchasing sent out request for quotes.
   DEC failed to get their quote in on time even though they had a couple of
   weeks to respond and had already drawn up the quote.  It is now early June.

2. Early July: after repeating the request for quotes, DEC wins and PO is
   sent to them.  Their quote says 30 day lead time, and PO calls for early
   August delivery.  We are behind schedule due to (1) but things seem to be
   under control finally.

3. Early August: no hardware.  Call to DEC gets a revised ship date in late
   August, with warning that it could slip further.  Reason given is "heavy
   demand."  A 3rd party supplier says the real reason is that DEC hasn't
   ramped up production of the DS5000 yet.

Now perhaps this is a little simplistic, but it seems to me that if DEC had
not screwed up the original quotation request and had delivered per its
quotation that we would have had hardware by early July, and that their
current (shakey) ship date puts them at least 60 days behind schedule.  It
certainly puts us way behind schedule and could make it necessary for us
to change brands.  We can get more work done on a slower machine that is
on the desk than on a faster machine that is still at the factory.

So, are people seeing big delays in their orders for the DS5000?  I'd really
like to know if this is a genuine production problem or yet another kink in
our distribution pipeline.  (Perhaps I should have guessed that "Digital has
it now" implies that the customers DON'T have it now...)

Please e-mail responses, no point clogging up the net with this topic if it
turns out to be a local problem.

Disgruntledly yours,  :^P  >^(
Don Rice                                  Internet: fnddr@acad3.fai.alaska.edu
Geophysical Institute                     E-mail:   fnddr@alaska.bitnet
University of Alaska                      Phone:    (907) 474-7569
Fairbanks, AK 99775                       Loran:    64.86N 212.16E