On Mon, Jan 6, 2020 at 11:19 PM Ken D'Ambrosio <k...@jots.org> wrote:
> On 2020-01-06 22:44, R. Anthony Lomartire wrote: > > So I recently landed a job working in COBOL on HP-UX. It's been a trip! > > > Oh, man. You just had to go there. Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I *do* > have a COBOL on HP-UX story. I was working at a startup c. 2002, and we > wanted to use the PointMan ERP system on our HP-UX hosts. (Linux wasn't > yet an option for PointMan.) So I, a relative HP-UX neophyte, ordered > COBOL for some thousands of dollars. I got, in a FedEx envelope: one (1) > sheet of paper with one (1) serial number and a phone number to order more > stuff. > > Period. > > I mean, silly me. For a couple of thousand bucks, I'd expected install > media, release notes, some accompanying documentation. *SOMETHING* So I > call the phone number and am like, "What in the world do I *do* with > this??" They transfer me to another number. Which transfers me to another > number. Which transfers me to another number. Who gives me a number they > promise will be able to help. It's only after I hang up that I realize > it's the first number I'd called -- the one on the piece of paper. At this > point, I begin to doubt my sanity. > Oh -- and did I mention the ERP system, itself, cost something north of > $150K, and I had the CFO breathing down my neck to get it installed, like, > yesterday? > I finally find some poor woman who's at least, like, *heard* of COBOL. > And she gets me to people who are willing to help me -- if I pay the $750 > (? -- I think that's right) maintenance fee. So I do. And get connected > with a very helpful engineer who explains the software is on the install > media that *came with the system*; I just needed the serial number to > activate it. > "Except, oh, yeah, YOUR version of the install media has a bug, and COBOL > won't install. I need to mail you a file." > "So, you mean, even if I knew HP-UX super-duper well, I *STILL* wouldn't > have been able to install it?" > "Yeah, that about sums it up." > > Again: release notes. Errata. An fscking URL. ANYTHING. I wrote our HP > rep a letter the likes of which I generally try not to write. He called me > up and asked what he could do to make it right. I said that was > impossible, but implored him not to screw over other customers. > > That's a top-five most-frustrating-thing ever. I sincerely hope that > things have changed in the intervening time. > > -Ken > > That pretty much sums up most of my experience with HP support, going back to when they got into Unix workstations buying Apollo. Professionally, I've avoided them when I could because of it. If you're into used/retro computers (tape drives, etc) at home, its worse. You need support contracts for anything. It's almost easier to find manuals & tech materials for older Sun systems on Oracle's sites today.
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