From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00, LOTS_OF_MONEY autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,27539c823b51b306 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-08-21 13:05:52 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!psinet-eu-nl!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada vendors and the art of selling used cars Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 15:56:27 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9luedc$d1m$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <3b7fdb8a_2@news3.prserv.net> <9lroc412oq7@enews2.newsguy.com> <3b8194f3_2@news3.prserv.net> <9ls8300bdq@enews4.newsguy.com> <3b81ae82_3@news3.prserv.net> <9lu7et$3ub$1@news.online-isp.com> <3B82AC17.8BF90918@easystreet.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 998423788 13366 136.170.200.133 (21 Aug 2001 19:56:28 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 21 Aug 2001 19:56:28 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:12188 Date: 2001-08-21T19:56:28+00:00 List-Id: I certainly don't expect anyone to work for free, so vendors are entitled to charge what they need to in order to provide support. But one would hope that a given product is a) sufficiently reliable and b) sufficiently documented so that a low end user can manage to get by without having to hire a staff of support techs from the vendor. Consider this: There will always be a certain number of customers for whom time is of sufficient money that it will pay for them to get full scale support from the vendor. They want/need training and education to get up to speed with the tool. They don't want production halted for some minor bug in the tool that forces them to figure out workarounds. If something isn't intuitively and immediately obvious, they want a phone number of someone who can tell them to check that the unit is plugged into the wall and that the power switch is "on". For that level of support, one would expect to pay through the nose. But if the software in question does exactly what it is supposed to do and what it is supposed to do is clearly documented, and how it does it does not involve complex and arcane rituals, then your average, low-end user (home hobyist, etc.) ought to be able to make it work without having to spend $12,000 a year for customer support. *Maybe* (Maybe!) they might need some help with an installation, but even this should be a matter of plugging in a disk and going to town whenever possible. Hence, high reliability, high quality documentation and intuitive operation are important ways to make a vendor's product more profitable in a consumer oriented product. Think about your average home appliance. Most companies provide 800 numbers you can call to get questions answered about the appliance. They usually provide a nice, detailed user's manual - usually even way too detailed. (Don't use this toaster while taking a bath. Don't stick a fork into the toaster. Don't lick the hot coils on the toaster. Don't bash yourself repeatedly in the head with the toaster.... - ever looked at the back of a box of toothpics and seen the instructions there? Its enough to convince you to build the world an asylum...:-) Typically, the features on the device match what is customary and usual for a home appliance - the on/off button is labeled in a common way, the plug fits a standard socket (usually) the doohickies and thingamabobs are usually similar to those of other manufacturers - basically an end user can turn it on and make it work with minimal fuss. Why is all this the case? Can you imagine how many calls there would be to customer support if the toaster they sold required you to type at a keyboard "dknbrd -S 5 - s 1"? (Unix-ese for "Darken Bread, shade = medium (1..10), slices = 1") How long before that 800 number became a 900 number? How long would UnixToaster, Inc. be in business? Now the important question: Why does software have to be different from that? Sure, its more complex than your average toaster, but is that sufficient excuse for why it can't work reliably enough and intuitively enough so that the user at home doesn't need a support contract? MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "Al Christians" wrote in message news:3B82AC17.8BF90918@easystreet.com... > > Maybe it takes high-volume to get the product to be reliable enough > regardless of all the variations in conditions of use that prevail > (ie different configurations of the customers' hardware and software) > so that sales without support is relatively likely to give the customer > good satisfaction. And maybe the Ada market is too small to support > that kind of product. >