[Info-vax] Itanic is a dead end : IBM

[Richard B. Gilbert]

On 5/31/2011 1:05 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2011-05-31, Phillip Helbig---undress to reply<helbig at astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de>  wrote:
>> In article<4de44ac9$0$31217$c3e8da3$b280bf18 at news.astraweb.com>, JF
>> Mezei<jfmezei.spamnot at vaxination.ca>  writes:
>>
>>> Remember when Compaq decided there was no demand for VMS 8.* for VAX (as
>>> had been promised) and never delivered it ?
>>>
>>> I have heard through the grapevine that this was not true. There was demand.
>>
>> Note everything in the grapevine is true.  Also, it depends on HOW MUCH
>> demand there was from PAYING CUSTOMERS.  I don't think they would
>> voluntarily refuse profits.
>>
>
> You have clearly never tried to get a VMS related quote out of HP in
> recent years.

I have had lots of experience with quotes from DEC/Compaq/H-P.  Every 
year I had to renew the hardware service and software service contracts.
My most recent experience was in 2004.

DEC/Compaq/HP would open negotiations with a quote for everything we 
ever had or ever hoped to have!

Scaling this document down to match reality was quite a chore.  The 
quote listed every bit of hardware and software we ever had, or ever 
hoped to have.

You would think that, having finally gotten a correct contract quote 
that the next time would be easy.  Just strike out the hardware and 
software that we no longer used and add the new.

NOT SO!!!!!

So strike out all the stuff you NEVER had, and all the stuff 
DEC/Compaq/HP wishes you had.  If you had to strike out the same lime 
items that you struck out last year, that was the way the system worked.

Now add the H-P hardware and software that HP left out of the quote.

Iterate a few times and we FINALLY get a quote that's a reasonable 
facsimile of what we really want.

I know not why the process was so difficult but I had to devote three or 
four weeks each year to get the next year's service contract right.  I 
never did find out the nature of the underlying problem but it was 
systemic.