Customer stories (was Re: runtime vs development filepro)

[Kenneth Brody]

Fairlight wrote:
[...]
> Customer's IQ notwithstanding, how hard is it to make the switch from cpio
> to tar?  :)  Methinks it was a principle thing, which I would be the first
> to understand, believe me.

Yes, it was mostly principle.  Everything was scripted and automated, so a
simple "make tape" (or similar) would ask you how many users, which addons,
and so on, and a tape would be make with the specified products, all ready
to be installed by the user with two simple commands (a cpio to read the
tape, followed by the /tmp/finish script).

It was the fact that this person "knew better" and flat out _refused_ to
type the command listed in the installation instructions because he "knew"
it "wouldn't work".  And, as I recall, not every version of tar at that
time would take a list of files to save from a file.  (Some would only
take a list on the command line.) Fortunately, this particular system's
tar allowed it to take it from a list, so a tweak to the make scripts
allowed tar rather than cpio.

Why not call Microsoft and tell them that you need a Windows install CD,
but in Rock Ridge format rather than Joliet?

> Funny anecdote though...thanks for sharing!

There was another time with a similar situation.  I don't recall the exact
details, but they needed a password for something.  (I think I put a file
in a public download area for them, and used a password-protected zip.)
I used "PITA" as the password, telling them that's what I had for lunch
that day.

Gee, I hope they're not reading this list.  ;-)

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| Kenneth J. Brody        | www.hvcomputer.com |                             |
| kenbrody/at\spamcop.net | www.fptech.com     | #include <std_disclaimer.h> |
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