Re: [cobalt-users] META FAQ Suggestion

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tony wrote:

> Don't take this personal Jeff..

Oh, I won't.  You see, you don't have complete knowledge.

> but it's really not your job to solicit
> KB submissions and input them. Meaning that if you or anyone else is not on
> Cobalt/Sun's payroll
> there's an element of trust in the integrity of the information that would
> be lacking.

Oh but it is my job.  I (along with several other users, I'm sure) have
contracted with Cobalt to be allowed to be a maintainer of the knowledge
base.  And that's in addition to their engineers. I assure you that they
don't give out the necessary authorizations to just anyone.  I know I've
disclosed this on this list previously.  Must I disclose it every time I
mention the knowledgebase?  I hope not.

> I don't think any Cobalt users should have to do this. Yes you are very
> correct that there needs
> to be ONE central repository but this is the VENDOR's responsibility and one
> that
> Cobalt/Sun continues to fail at. Bottom line is that a company the size of
> Cobalt/Sun has
> the financial and human resources to hire a team of no less than 3 full time
> technicians whose
> sole job is to read every last single e-mail posted to THEIR product mailing
> lists by THEIR customers and filter,
> process, test and convert the invaluable information presented into KB
> entries and product
> management feedback. Offline companies have to spend a fortune to gather the
> type of intelligence & product
> feedback that Cobalt users post for free on these lists.

You're pretty specific here about 3 full time technicians.  Where are
you coming from?  I suppose that from YOUR point of view this is what
Cobalt should do, but don't you think Cobalt has the right to decide
what they want to do?

> For example how many times does a product update package have to be released
> that ends up
> screwing up customer's webservers before the Managers of that department say
> something like:
> "If you release one more package that hasn't been fully tested umpteen times
> and guaranteed
> to be 100% bug/screw up free....get your resume ready".

Have you suggested this to Cobalt?  Based on the paragraph above, you
don't think they read this list, so this advice isn't go to help them
unless you send it to them.  Do you need the email addresses of the
proper people to send this kind of suggestion to?  If so, let me know; I
have the addresses and will be happy to give them to you.

> Or perhaps now that Sun's in control perhaps Cobalt can afford to adequately
> staff their
> engineering departments so that the poor engineer in charge of coding these
> upgrades/fixes
> doesn't have to work 20 hours of overtime rushing to get a package out the
> door.

There isn't just one engineer.  Since I've only spoken to one engineer
so far today, and I didn't ask him how much overtime he's spent.  Is
this your guess?  Or do you know something we don't?

Don't get me wrong, I have as much distrust of Cobalt's upgrades as the
next guy.  I install them on my own schedule, based on the importance of
the fixes to me, and the results I read here on this list and on the
developers list.

Do you think any other linux/unix vendor has a better support record? 
If so, please let me know; I haven't found any.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672
Riverside, CA  92517
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