On Tuesday, 11/11/2014 at 01:44 EST, Alan Ackerman <alan.ackerma...@gmail.com> wrote: > Would you be willing to tell us those "annoying idosyncrasies"?
No. What annoys me may not annoy others, and in no case do the behaviors diminish the value sufficiently to make me get rid of the product. Like a good TV program from my childhood, Good always triumphs over Evil. > Our shop is very unlikely to move away from Velocity, but newer customers, such > as the Original Poster, might find it useful. Since I spend most of my time in the System Management part of the world, there are a lot of add-ons. I recommend that my clients be savvy shoppers, just as if they were in the market for a large-ticket item at home. To that end, always keep in mind: 1. A person's first love is often their best love. It's not common sense, but it's just the way humans work. If you learn one of the programs first, you will generally like it best since it's a huge improvement over stone knives and bearskins. But once learned, The Other Guy's warts look worse in the shadow of your current selection. Bottom line, when getting comparisons from friends and family, make sure that they've actually spent quality time with both. ("I hate that car because Dad hates it" just doesn't cut it.) 2. The vendor will tell you what's great about their product, and they will says things repeatedly in the hope that if you hear it often enough you will believe it to be True. They will even provide reference accounts. See #1. By the way, TALKING LOUDLY doesn't make a claim truer. 3. Beware of unsubstantiated claims, including references to "unbiased opinion". That phrase is an oxymoron. Words like "most" and "everyone" should raise a red flag. 4. Have actual requirements (gasp!). Compare all claims against *your* requirements, not those of the vendor. If you don't care whether the car is blue or not, ignore any color references from the manufacturer. Discuss your requirements back at home before you go shopping so that your list is complete and works for the whole family. Get the big picture. 5. A product stands on its own merits. If a salesperson tries to make their case by telling what the other guy does wrong, they aren't saying anything about their own product. 6. Products change. Don't let ancient history or innuendo color your decision-making process. Claims from the vendor should be based on reasonably current data. ("JD Powers & Associates #1 Pick 3 Years on a Row!" shouldn't have a footnote that says "1988-1990".) 7. You don't get what you pay for or deserve. You get what you negotiate. Is there a trial period? Is setup included? Will they cart away your old mattress? For free? Does it come in puce? Are go-faster stripes available? But Caveat emptor. 8. Good products have a long list of unfulfilled requirements. Bad products have none because no one cares. People who like the product the best will have the most requirements as they are the ones who use it the most. So if someone complains about a product, dig deeper. 9. To Mr. Ackerman's point, give yourself a break and don't be afraid to change your mind. "Try it, you'll like it!" Maybe not so much, eh? Just set Management's expectations properly ahead of time. Feel free to also use the above for buying insurance, a car, or a set of steak knives. Alan Altmark Senior Managing z/VM and Linux Consultant Lab Services System z Delivery Practice IBM Systems & Technology Group ibm.com/systems/services/labservices office: 607.429.3323 mobile; 607.321.7556 alan_altm...@us.ibm.com IBM Endicott ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Linux on System z, visit http://wiki.linuxvm.org/