"Wireless technology vendors should put their R&D money into developing a mobile technology that works."
Shannon Gillenwater, CyrusOne
Please Hang Up and Dial Again
Dave Molta makes many good points is his March 4 column, "Taking Responsibility and Calls" (www.networkcomputing.com/1305/1305colmolta.html). But there's a subject about which no one ever seems to talk. A subject that requires serious attention from the wireless industry. A subject that is basic and simple: When will wireless-technology vendors deliver a product that actually works?
We hear loads of talk from digital wireless vendors claiming "crystal clear calls." But let me ask: How many "crystal clear" calls has Molta ever made? His experience is probably more like mine, which includes frequent comments like, "Say that again. You were breaking up." Or the always-convenient dropped call. Then there are the countless times I've tried making a call, only to realize I had no service. These problems are the standard rather than the exception. My "corridor of service" along I-10 between Houston and San Antonio has more holes in it than Microsoft IIS.
If the cable company delivered a product that worked this poorly, we would all complain. If a radio station broadcast with similarly ragged quality, people would turn the dial--no listeners means no advertisers, and no advertisers means no business. So why in the world do we all accept the horridly developed mobile technology that's been pushed out to us as up to standard? Surely the wireless industry and its customers don't believe that it's "impossible" to develop a wireless technology that functions with a higher level of reliability and quality than what we have now.
Rather than adding new services for me to access via my feebly performing mobile technology, these companies should put their R&D money into developing a mobile technology that actually works.
Hello Sony
I simply had to put in my two cents after reading Steven J. Schuchart Jr.'s March 4 Rant, "Shame on You, Hewlett-Packard" (www.networkcomputing.com/1305/1305rant.html). I too have experienced problems with support from Hewlett-Packard, which is why I no longer recommend "HP anything" for my customers. I never did like Compaq, so I don't recommend that stuff either. I custom build our customers' servers, and the only failures I have had in the past four years have been with the HP tape drives. I am testing the Sony equivalent DDS-3 tape drive, and so far, it's a lot quieter. Change can be very rewarding.
Thomas Wettlaufer Technical Services
Full Serv Distribution
TomW@fullserv.com
Linux LetDowns
In her Feb. 18 BuzzCut, "Slow Down, Linus!" (www.nwc.com/buzzcut/020211bc.html), Lori MacVittie writes, "It's in their best interests to ensure a quality product. Vendor-supplied distributions are arguably as stable, and probably more so, than anything Microsoft has released in the past few years."
As an IT professional, I am growing increasingly weary of media people making such statements. While my experience with Linux is anecdotal, I doubt I will ever recommend it in my organization. I work in the IT division of a Fortune 500 company and am responsible for recommending operating systems, then designing how they will fit into our enterprise. I'm one of the people the Linux community must convince.
The problem is, I have never been able to successfully install a Linux distribution and have it be "stable." Things I take for granted in Microsoft operating systems either do not exist or require arcane and difficult-to-find commands to accomplish in Linux. I have spent many hours trying to make versions of Linux work, starting with version 6.0 Mandrake right up to today's 8.x, with little success. I can have a functioning Windows 2000 server on that machine in minutes. With Linux I must do battle with the mouse, NIC and display, and even when I put up the best possible fight, they still don't work right. With Windows 2000, everything works with little fuss or manual configuration. When I tried to get support from Mandrake's Web community I got a lot of nothing--that's right: zip, zilch, nada, no support at all.
Until I see a version of Linux that will install without an inordinate amount of futzing, I will remain unconvinced. If stability and usability can be obtained only by Linux gurus, it will remain a marginal product. I enjoy new technology and learning new things, and if I'm frustrated, I must wonder how a typical user would feel.
Michael Sturtz
Technical Consultant
Computer Ease II michael_sturtz@hotmail.com
In Cisco We Trust?
I believe someone from Cisco is playing golf with someone from Microsoft--and losing bets at every hole. That's the only reasonable explanation for what Greg Shipley describes in "Windows Vulnerabilities: Coming to a Cisco Device Near You" (www.networkcomputing.com/1303/1303colshipley.html).
I always thought security was an afterthought (service pack) for Microsoft, but foremost in mind at Cisco. Over the past year, the integration of Cisco in AVVID, IDS and VPN has been a terrifying trend. If we can't count on Cisco to make our edge safe, where will we turn?
Ivor Thomas Systems Analyst/Programmer
Network Security Analyst
E-mail and company name withheld on request
Correction
To further clarify our coverage of policy-based management in "Are You a Control Freak?" (www.nwc.com/1302/1302f1.html), Syndesis does do MPLS VPN provisioning. Syndesis has a product called NetProvision that complies with RFC 2547 bis. Cisco does resell Syndesis provisioning solutions.
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