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From: dyer@spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: Microsoft dropping Xenix
Message-ID: <432@spdcc.COM>
Date: Fri, 4-Dec-87 17:52:45 EST
Article-I.D.: spdcc.432
Posted: Fri Dec  4 17:52:45 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Dec-87 06:48:17 EST
References: <4610@well.UUCP>
Reply-To: dyer@spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer)
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA
Lines: 34
Keywords: Microport Real Unix

Ho hum.

Listen, if Microport put more time into debugging their product and improving
their customer support, and less time posting self-serving articles to the net,
they and their customers would be a lot better off.

Amy Snader's comments (which were in response to earlier self-serving
horn-tooting) were right on the mark.  Microsoft has a proven track record
of upwards compatibility with their earlier systems as well as a very large
user base.  It also has a very good product in their 286 and 386 versions of
XENIX which are robust, rich in features and don't crash.  Their main customer
"front end", SCO, provides high quality support.  This leads me to reasonably
believe that whetever merged product Microsoft comes out with will be
of similar quality.

Now, what are we faced with from Microport?  Lots of bug reports, lots of
freely given advise from other net folks to buy XENIX because of their
flaky experience with Microport UNIX, and content-free news articles from
its prez and vice-prez which consist of little other than marketing jargon
and bizarre comments about Microsoft's ability to deliver a merged product.
Perhaps it's been Microport's experience that this is a Hard Problem, but
anyone with any technical skill knows that it isn't.

Listen, no one is out to "get" Microport.  But if it don't work, it don't
matter how "UNIX System V.3-compatible" it is.  Improve what you sell,
and you won't need to defend yourself with this silliness.  People choose
systems because they WORK, not because they like one company better than
another.


-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.harvard.edu
dyer@spdcc.COM aka {ihnp4,harvard,linus,ima,bbn,m2c}!spdcc!dyer