[Info-vax] naming convention in VMS MAIL

[abrsvc]

> 
> > Benchmarking the performance of a particular application ona particular 
> > set of low-end hardware is often relatively easy.
> > 
> > Benchmarking productivity is not so easy at all; it involves rather 
> > more than the speed of a particular set of hardware and software, and 
> > takes rather more than a box and a few scripts.
> 
> "Lies, damned lies, statistics and benchmarking".  Or 
> "Benchmarketeering", for those that prefer it.
> 
The use of benchmarking software that replicates (within reason) actual users is better than the speeds & feeds programs usually used.  I spent many years providing this type of benchmarking testing which would show more realistic performance of systems.  We actually caught a vendor fabricating throughput numbers for an application once.  We were able to prove that using the best case times (no randomization, just the minimum times for each operation), that the transaction rate was impossible.  DEC won that sale.

But, replicating actual use of a machine results in a more realistic expectation of performance of the system for the end user.  This is a more expensive investment for both the vendor and the perspective customer, but minimizes any surprises when the system is actually implemented. 

Dan