| Would
you like MS-fries with that?
©2002
Published:
When I was a teen, my mom took
us kids out to dinner twice a week.
The only restaurant in town that
we can afford was MicroServe on
Main Street. Usually, they provided adequate
service, and their menu grew with each
passing day. Sometimes the MS-clown
was there with his magic tricks.
One night,
my MS-cola was flat, my mom's MS-burger
was almost raw, and my sister never
received her MS-green beans. My
mom went back to the counter with the
inedible food and stood incredulously.
An hour later, the manager finally
gave her apologies and some replacement
items, but we were long done with dinner.
My siblings
and I were perturbed. How could
my mother put up with this? Why
did she bring us to such a place? Surely
she could see to it that we got our
meal properly. We complained all
the way home and even the next day,
my sister went on and on about her beans,
despite our mom's promises that it
would be better next time. What
else could she do?
Another
restaurant opened across the street
from MicroServe, and my mother, feeling
pressure to make a change, decided to
switch to the new Linusburger.
When we arrived, we could see
that there was no counter, no waitress,
no lines. There was just a grill
in the middle of the floor, trays of
raw meat and vegetables on either side,
tall stacks of bins with plain
bread and rolls, and bare wooden
picnic tables around the room.
Perplexed
and confused, we tried to make heads
or tails of the setup. My mom finally
asked another patron about the service
and was informed that this was
an open-market restaurant and that we
needed to bring our own plates, utensils,
napkins and condiments. We
would be cooking and serving ourselves--recipes
and cooking directions were available
for a fee from one of the tables in
the back of the room.
MicroServe
didn't look so bad just about then.
Okay,
this anecdote isn't really true.
I thought this would serve as
an example of how the computer industry
treats its customers, and how the people
responsible for choices in a business
can be given grief for making those
unavoidable decisions.
Just
like the choices on the imaginary
Main Street, an IT Director or your
technician has to make decisions in
a world with little choice as to operating
system or, many times, applications.
Like it or not, this is a Windows
world and experts are bound to the same
issues involved as a layman. Too
many times a messenger is not only shot,
but he dies from frustration.
I don't
intend to crow about the monopolies
of the computer world. What is
needed, though, is some understanding
by the users of this monopolized industry.
Please consider the following:
- Microsoft
and Intel control the workstation
and server platforms. Microsoft
Office is the standard set of regular
office software functions, including
word processing, spreadsheet and
email handling.
- There
is only a credible supply of workers
competent in the Microsoft product
lines. All other operating
systems and office products have
a limited following and user base.
- There
are very few choices available for
automation applications in any one
industry. All choices have
Microsoft-related issues as well
as their own idiosyncrasies.
- Hardware
and their drivers comprise a
complex web of legacy and current
parts and software. Even in
a single product line, you can't
always stay current, as models,
drivers and firmware (software built
into the electronic parts) continuously
change. Making this myriad
of pieces work together with a minimum
of issues can be a huge challenge.
- The
above makes it nearly impossible
to choose other than Microsoft in
business operations and truly impossible
to guarantee 100% uptime in any
company.
The moral?
Be patient with any technical
person or company that works on your
infrastructure, whether on your own
in-house network or outsource vendor.
Like
other high-tech firms, WorldPOINT uses
our best judgment in choosing the right
combination of hardware and software.
If our experience is better than
most, we will have fewer problems than
most. But we do not employ Microsoft
or Intel programmers, nor are we responsible
for the code written in each of the
numerous applications we host.
When
it comes to your technical organization,
like the road sign says: Give
them a break, someone's mommy works
there.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jack@worldpointinc.com.
Note:
WorldPOINT articles are copyrighted and the exclusive property
of WorldPOINT Inc. and author Jack Huber. They may be copied
or reproduced by non-ASP's and non-competitors only in their
entirety with no modifications, including the source and
byline, and distributed without charge or financial gain.
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