[Am-info] Dell and Linux

[Mike Stephen]

IBM in the past (I was at a support centre in Vancouver from
1991 - 1993).  They supported DOS, OS/2, Windows, As well as
QNX.  (there really was little or no Unix on 86 at that time
except for a few SCO and Interactive users, and we usually
referred them back to SCO and Interactive). We were always
told that IBM hardware was fully warranted with any operating
system (including IBM's own AIX on 86 that was a bit of a
disaster).  We did understand that if a client called with an
operating system we were not familiar with (QNX, or any other)
that we would refer them to either an internal IBM support
engineer familiar with the product, or we would refer them
back to QNX (Quantum Software). Another example was ICLAS  A
Novell operating environment for the K-12 classroom.  We were
never requested to brush off a client because he/she had a
better choice of operating system than was the defacto norm...
I know for a fact that in Vancouver, we loved to get those
calls.  We had a lab that we were able to setup and install
the clients environment so we could help.  But those were the
days when IBM support actually meant you had great support.
Today I think IBM just hires Windows people, so there is
probably a change of attitude since I left.

I used to love installing SCO, Interactive, QNX on the IBM
equipment.  It usually required an hour or two of time to
learn about various drivers etc that would work with our
machines.  All this was justified for a learning case.  We
would then be able to help others in that area.  Personally I
was one of 9 people in NA during that time that supported
IBM's OS/2 TCPIP (This was when TCPIP was a seperate add-on to
OS/2, long before it was included with Warp 3 in 1994).  It
used to be a point of pride when someone from (name any city
in the world of IBM) would call for help with a client and
your specialty.  We had people in Vancouver who were fluent
with 5-6 major systems.  Nowadays they hire drones who are
familiar with a point and click peice of crap called Windows.

Sadly todays IBM support is a shadow of what it used to be....
It is still better than most others, but compared to what it
was, it is minimal to say the least.

Mike Stephen

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans Reiser" <reiser@namesys.com>
To: "Roy Bixler" <rcb@bix.org>
Cc: <am-info@lists.essential.org>
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2002 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Am-info] Dell and Linux


> Roy Bixler wrote:
>
> >On Mon, May 13, 2002 at 08:46:57PM +0400, Hans Reiser
wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Dell makes enough of a claim to support Linux to not get
dropped from
> >>consideration when doing bids, but does not support it
enough that
> >>anyone in their right minds would actually run Linux if
Dell was their
> >>supplier and they wanted support.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Unfortunately, at work, Dell is the preferred supplier.
I've been
> >pushing Linux use on the server for years and I've often
been
> >successful.  Of course, in that time, sometimes the
hardware has
> >required service.  Dell's support is slanted towards
Windows but they
> >have an option on their phone tree for calling in problems
on systems
> >running Linux or Unix.  So far, no one has asked us to
install Windows
> >for support.  If they did, that would be awfully
presumptuous since
> >the systems were ordered with "no preinstalled OS" (i.e. at
no time
> >while in our posession was Windows ever installed on those
machines.)
> >
> >
> >
> They do it to me with my laptop.  Multiple times this has
happened, and
> I am told by the twerp that management tells him to do this.
I have
> resolved it by calling until I get a different person, and
going to
> great lengths to not admit to using Linux.  Not buying the
laptop with
> windows was not an available choice, it was windows only.
>
> I should have bought IBM, and next time I will.
>
> Hans
>
>
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