Re: [cobalt-users] RaQ3 Kernel update 4.0.1 & Bus Speed

[Wayne Sagar <wsagar@xxxxxxxx>]

At 03:16 PM 4/29/01 EDT, you wrote:
>Here's another one off the developers list regarding the latest RaQ3 kernel
>update - this is really sad.

I broke my long standing rule to not add updates until I see others have
tried them successfully... I only waited to see a few responses that
indicated there was no trouble with this one.. 

Unfortunately, long standing rules should not be broken. I have had similar
problems as mentioned in the message you refer to.. Fortunately, reboots
have seemed to clear any problems that have cropped up but there do seem to
be problems cropping up with this update.. I've also noticed quite a
slowdown running cgi processes.. 

Even though the -3's are becoming orphans.. I hope Sun/Cobalt will
recognize that there are a LOT of them out there and abandoning them
without support is not going to be good business practice. 

Why upgrade to a -4 when a year from now they may decide to abandon that
machine as well and drop support for it also?

I've owned cars that were 30 years old and was still able to get parts and
service information... "updates" for it... It's common business practice to
support what you have sold for a reasonable period of time.. Certainly that
is not just a year, or less, after discontinuing a particular model.. it
does not encourage someone to buy the new version of the product.. quite
the contrary.. It would encourage someone to look elsewhere so they would
not face the same situation with a newer machine somewhere down the short
product cycle road...

Cobalt... Sun.. I hope you are listening here... I leased my RaQ3 only a
year ago.. I'd expect to get a little longer service and updates out of it
than what is currently being offered. There are thousands of them out
there.. and many of those people are potential life long customers... don't
abandon us, or the ISP's that you sold the machines to in the first place.. 

You have competition and your success in this segment of the market place
has not gone unnoticed by them.. Keep your customers happy and you will
have a loyal customer base that grows. Abandon customers and you will lose
not only current business, you will errode your future as well..

Wayne Sagar