Re: [cobalt-users] sub domains on a raq 4

[Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

abc-123@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> I think if a person wants to offer THEIR SERVICE, they should not do it on
> the list (We offer this kind of work as a service, but depending on how many
> you want set up, this could end up costing you a few dollars.)

Since you're quoting me, may I presume you want a response from me?  No,
okay, I'll make it anyway <wry grin>...

It's certainly okay for you to think that way.  I guess other people
don't think that way, or else they'd be yelling at me quite a bit as
well.

In fact I make my living working on Cobalt systems.  And I don't care if
anyone and everyone knows it.

So why don't I get a lot of flack (and I do get some, from you for
example).  Maybe it's because I'm very helpful, and answer a lot of
questions as well as I can, onlist?  If you check for "jblists" in the
archives you'll see that I've given literally thousands of answers on
this list.  In fact I've been so helpful as to have been officially
recognized by Cobalt.

> Seems I got in a lot of trouble on the list when i offered some Raq servers
> for sell. Yet it looks like it is acceptable for someone to offer their
> services.?

It certainly does look like it.  Why?

> I do not see much difference here.

Possibly because when you're selling a server there's no "value added";
it's just a server; yet when I'm selling a service I always try to let
the original poster know how to do it him/herself, or why that isn't
practical.  Then I point out that I can offer additional help, but only
for a fee.

How do I decide the limits?  Anything I can offer without much work, to
benefit people on the list, I do so.  Anything that takes a lot of my
time and/or is beneficial only to the poster, I see no reason not to
charge for.  That way I continue to be beneficial to the community and
to be benficial to my clients as well.  And I continue to stay in
business, so I can be beneficial to both.

There's a lot of people, good people, who offered lots of help, who are
no longer here and no longer helping, because their skin isn't as thick
as mine (perhaps), so they just left.  Is the list better off without
them?  I don't think so.

In the particular email you've quoted, I told the poster how to do it
and pointed out that this wasn't the kind of list for specific apache
help.  I really don't see anything wrong with that.  I also told him I'd
help him if he'd like, but I couldn't do it for free.  I don't see
anything wrong with that either.

You could argue why don't I tell him that privately... and my response
would be that if I did that I'd probably just go ahead and answer him
privately, and no-one else on the list would benefit.  I want as many
people as possible to benefit.

This discussion is off-topic, so anyone with anything else to say,
please contact me offlist.

> Cobalt servers are ok, Have
> used them ever since they came out, as a matter of fact, still using the
> first Rag1 and the first Raq2's that came out. But, i hate to see a limit
> set on the servers like Cobalt does. They place the limit so they can sell
> more. That is  one of the main reasons.

They place the limit because they know the speed processor they're
using; they know the speed of the drives, they know how many services
they run themselves in the background to keep the system an appliance. 
Then they conservatively rate the appliance so people will be happy
using it.

Does Maytag put a load-limit line inside their washers so you'll buy
more than one?  Maybe.  But frankly I really don't think so.

Jeff
-- 
Jeff Lasman <jblists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Linux and Cobalt/Sun/RaQ Consulting
nobaloney.net
P. O. Box 52672, Riverside, CA  92517
voice: (909) 778-9980  *  fax: (702) 548-9484