Re: Take me off this list as well.


Subject: Re: Take me off this list as well.
From: Peter Forsyth (pete@linuxfreemail.com)
Date: Sun Oct 28 2001 - 00:52:40 MDT


Brian, you need to cool your jets and think about where you direct your
comments.

First of all, YDL is an exceptional value. But it's not for everyone. As you
concede, it's perfect for people who like to tinker; and there are others,
as well, who may benefit from the product.

Personally, I just bought YDL 2.1 last week, because I have already received
value far beyond its $30 price, from the ISO I downloaded and the
information I've gotten from this list and directly from YDL. For instance,
I submitted a bug report last Saturday night, as requested by a message in
the installer - and, much to my surprise, had a concise message in my inbox
Sunday morning explaining how to resolve my problem. That's right, an
intelligent, personal response, in response to a bug report on free
software. On a Sunday morning.

To me, that is not the sign of a company that is not trying. Although it's
possible that YDL has room for improvement in how it balances the needs of
its paying customers with those of the general public (and I have nothing
but your say-so to make me think so), it would be absurd to suggest that
this company has not made an extraordinary effort to contribute to this new
and growing community. Comments like yours, if delivered in a respectful and
private manner, might empower them to discover and eliminate their
shortcomings; but your public rant accomplishes nothing at all. It serves
not to discredit YDL, but to discredit you.

A brief glance through the archives reveals that you were a self-described
"newbie" one month ago. As you reveal by your desire to have a working,
sophisticated server up and running so that you can move on to other things,
your ambition is great. Perhaps nobody has told you, but there are those who
devote their entire careers to learning to set up a decent server - and this
is true of all server platforms, not just Linux.

As a general rule, you are right to expect marketing not to be misleading.
But to base an important decision on marketing alone is just plain foolish.
Did you talk to anyone who had successfully set up YDL to accomplish
something similar to what you're doing? NO?!! Well, maybe you should try
that in the future. New products in general are great for those who like to
tinker, and for those willing to do a little grunt work to get more value
than they might find elsewhere. But if it hasn't been proven to meet your
needs, and you need to move on so you can focus on other things, then you
should be looking at alternatives.

I fully agree with Chris - the OS you're looking for is Windows NT.
Personally, I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole, but that's my own
choice. It's the only place you're going to find what you're looking for - a
platform where you can pay someone to solve your problems when you don't
have the time or the inclination. It's a perfectly legitimate need - but one
that will cost you a lot of dollars.

Don't blame the marketing for YDL - blame the part of you that thought you
could pay $50 and get something for which Windows users pay thousands upon
thousands of dollars.

- pete -
--------
Peter Forsyth
Systems Manager
The Portland Tribune

> I have to say, I really expected more from Yellow Dog than just a
> bunch of free software burned onto a CD.
>
> I expected an interface to tie everything together and make the
> server set up easier.
>
> I have bought Linux books and printed out hundreds of pages of
> manuals and read through as much as I can stand. My intention was to
> spend my time building sites and applications, not programming Linux
> or sifting through numerous books, web sites and page after page of
> obscure commands and then trying to figure out why they don't work.
>
> This is great for people who like to tinker, but I just want set it
> up and move on to other things.
>
> I am switching to Mac OS X Server. It's expensive, but I know it will
> work and allow me to do what I need to do.
>
> Better keep working on it Yellow Dog. Maybe eventually you can live
> up to your marketing. I only wish I could get my money and my time
> back.
>
> Thanks anyway.
> --
> Brian L. Friesen
>
> -- End User Advocate --
>
> Visual Image Group
> bfriesen@visual-image.com
> 1-800-777-0384
>



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