🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <921128392@ritz.mordor.com> ritz@ritz.mordor.com (Christopher Mauritz) writes:
>
>Well, I guess as one gets older support is more important. :-)
>IBM may not be cutting edge, but they (in most cases) will doggedly
>support their hardware even when it becomes apparent that it is
>far out of date.  Also, there isn't much fear of Big Blue going bust
>anytime soon.
>

	I'm afraid that I'm going to have to vehemently disagree with that
support point.

	Here's a lovely example:

	1 week ago, I tried to find out the maximum resolution of their 8518
monitor that they sold us with the 30+ PS/2s we purchased.

	Call 1, to generic IBM Help Line:

	"Howdy!  My name is Marc Wandschneider and I'm calling from McGill
University.  I was just wondering if there was somebody there that I could
talk to about finding out the Maximum resolution of the 8518 monitor that
came with the Model 35SLCs we recently purchased."

	"Ok.  Do you have a customer number?"

	"What?"

	"Where did you get the PS/2s..?"

	"We're renting them from IBM.  I just want to find out the max res
of these monitors."

	"Okay.  So do you have a service contract?"

	"Yes, but I don't need any service right now, I just want to know
the maximum resolution of these monitors."

	"Ok.  Hold please."  (wait for 5)  "Hello?  Ok, the Model 35SLC has
256k graphics, so the computer can do VGA."

	"I know that, I want to know what the MONITOR is capable of doing."

	"Oh.  Hrm.  Well, here, why don't you try calling our technical
support department?"


	Call 2, to technical support:

	"Howdy!  My name is Marc Wandschneider and I'm calling from McGill
University.  I was just wondering if there was somebody there that I could
talk to about finding out the Maximum resolution of the 8518 monitor that
came with the Model 35SLCs we recently purchased."


	"Um.  Have you tried calling somebody else?"

	"Well, I've called a couple of other people (I had called
the store who arranged the deal with IBM for us, and they just pointed
at some pictures of model 95s and asked 'is that it there?') and they 
eventually referred me to you."

	"Hrm.  Well, I don't know anything about these things, I just tell
people who to call.  I'll see if I can get somebody to call you back."


	Needless to say, I finally called up some techie place a week later
and found out resolution of said monitor.



	The MCA Bus is nice, but IBM really should just bite the bullet and
stop charging obscene fees for it. 

	The keyboards are kinda cool, but a nice Nortgate Keyboard easily
easily matches it.

	Apart from that, I can find NOTHING about IBM that would make me
get a machine from them.

	We also have a pile of RS/6000s here -- Truly superior engineering
and software design -- not.


	Toodlepip!
	Marc 'em.
-- 
  storm@cs.mcgill.ca           McGill University         "-- Attack ships on
  Marc Wandschneider           Montreal, CANADA             fire "
	Any opinions expressed are not mine, but those of the Demon Lord
      Yeegeheeegenogohugu who possessed me whilst I munched on Raisin Bran.