Please, they get my undivided, but non-caring attention for 30+ seconds, yet the still plaster ads inline throughout the entire fucking post. So one ad is somehow more valuable than the HUNDREDS they could otherwise subject me to as a non-paying member? They drove numbers of people away with this crap. As a once prolific salon.com reader, I now refuse to read them unless my slashbox shows an article that might interest me. They burnt a customer that could have meant lots of ad-impressions.
It's a PITA. It's nagware to get people to pay to view the site (and is the site truly ad-free afterwards? as a nonpaying user I have no idea).
Oh I wish I had read this before getting involved with ECS. 2 dead mobos later, (one of which literally caught on fire), and I'm in ECS hell, with way too much money spent on said product. Stick to tyan, brothers...
As an aside, I'm whoring for Promise Technology. 5 minutes and 1 fax (credit card RMA form for cross-ship), and I had a replacement card shipped to me next day (my dime on shipping, they offered free ground shipping on replacement warranteed cards). All I had to do was box up the bad card. $20 total. Top notch. Considering it saved $1000s in irreplaceable photographs... <sigh>
Which *WILL* end up killing any brand loyalty your ex-company once had.
Personally, I don't care if your black, pink, purple, indian or polka-dotted. If you can't understand the words coming out of my mouth, you don't get my business.
Right, because all these countries want "made in " instead of "Made in "... oh wait... odds are that same mobo I just paid $100 is available for $15 in Taiwan...
No, it's just that when I do business in America, I find it entirely appropriate to staff the phone lines with people fluent in the majority language, English. Good luck getting decent Spanish or French language support if you live in the U.S. I know the company I did support for had French, German, Italian and Spanish as well as english on one floor. Our Chinese speakers had good enough english skills that our customers never had issues communicating with them, nor with our Indian team members. Good luck saying that about Microsoft or Dell.
The problem with supporting customers in America is one of languages. Having one person who can barely understand the language talking to another person who can barely understand the language is the height of stupidity service-wise, but apparently perfect for the bottom-line.
God, I love this country.
As to your "Bastard Operator" point, I agree, many of my customers had this very antagonistic attitude coming in, bitching and moaning... "Yup, yup, yup. I understand your pain. Now why don't you slow down, tell me exactly what is going wrong, and we'll get your sorted out split-time..." seemed to calm even the worst of them down.
Even the "I want to talk to your manager types"... "Well what's that gonna do, you get to bitch and moan at him, while I'm stuck here with no details unable to work on your problem..." types. Then again, I actually had a clue about the product I was working on (not to imply that you didn't...)
In the end, every customer wants to be treated as a paying customer, the guys who writes your paycheck, even if it's only a fraction of a penny. Give them the time they deserve, and they'll be your customer for life. Brand loyalty is dead in America simply because the corps have lost sight of this.
Or the statement: I am NOT hanging up this phone until you give me an RMA number. No, I will not send one more email or fill out one more web form. Run down to your little RMA guy sitting next to the coffee machine and get me a number.... fine, I'll be sending the damn thing back, getting the credit card to cancel the transaction, and you can work things out. <click>
Not that this is limited to Indians... Plenty of American support lines can't do something so simple... <sigh>
Whatever happened to "the customer is always right?"
I'd like to take this moment to comment on great tech support. Promise Technology. Got me a quick RMA (next day shipping, my treat) on failed hardware. Total of 1fax, and 5 minutes of my time.
Anyhow, what most people are missing is that this ISN'T sending money to india. It's all about putting more money into the pockets of big money in the U.S. It is *ENTIRELY* about shafting the American/European worker. You think that $30K tech support job is all going to India or Pakistan or China? Hell no. Try $10K. Where's the rest go? The bottom line. Better ####s for wall street, bigger golden parachute.
And we WANT to put our social security money into a system so corrupt?
you have to ask yourself why this is so? We perfected the shovel 100 years ago, and to make them now, we make them at a loss. So we go on to make more complicated things, like dialysis machines, CAT scanners, aircraft and ships. Fiber optics and other complex high-tech gear that other countries just aren't suited for building yet. Why should we dedicate manpower to steel production when it's better suited for building complex machines (other than the possible DDOS of not having steel readily available).
Well, that and the american consumer has gotten used to the disposable goods economy. Cars, Electronics... We have made things so easy to make, that it's better to throw them away when they break, then to get new ones. False economy, at times, yes, but truth nonetheless.
Witness Saran Cutting Sheets. It's easier to throw out a sheet after cutting dinner on it, than it is to bleach/wash a cutting board.
Really now? Exactly how much cheaper is it now because Dell or Microsoft has their support centers in far flung countries (i'll disparage no one by calling them thirld-world)?
Last I checked WindowsXP still cost more than Windows 3.11, and OfficeXP was still in the stratosphere...
If you don't think your brain needs cooling, I challenge you to sit in a hot arizona desert with a gallon of water an hour for as long as there is sun shining. Yes, you get to wear sunblock, if you want. 3, 4 days, tops?;-)
so is there possibility that there might be a hive of multi-billion year old bacterium out there?? Just waiting for some little kid with a rock hammer to set them free?
Not all places offer space to hold seminars for free. Hell, most churches don't do it, most american legions don't, and I don't know a single KoC hall that does it, unless it's a favor for someone important.
So spit out your hunnerd and share with the world... I'm sure the FSF has GPL'd their seminars.
Better to have Russian and American rocket scientists building heavy lift vehicles, than selling their services to any country willing to keep them fed to build ICBMs.
Slashdot Mirror
I use AMD cuz they didn't force that abortion called RDRAM down my throat. :-)
Right. Which is why it's continually packed every single performance for nearly 6 years straight (in boston).
Right...
Please, they get my undivided, but non-caring attention for 30+ seconds, yet the still plaster ads inline throughout the entire fucking post. So one ad is somehow more valuable than the HUNDREDS they could otherwise subject me to as a non-paying member? They drove numbers of people away with this crap. As a once prolific salon.com reader, I now refuse to read them unless my slashbox shows an article that might interest me. They burnt a customer that could have meant lots of ad-impressions.
It's a PITA. It's nagware to get people to pay to view the site (and is the site truly ad-free afterwards? as a nonpaying user I have no idea).
Only for vinateri, and only if it's a game-winning kick.
-Chris
Oh I wish I had read this before getting involved with ECS. 2 dead mobos later, (one of which literally caught on fire), and I'm in ECS hell, with way too much money spent on said product. Stick to tyan, brothers...
As an aside, I'm whoring for Promise Technology. 5 minutes and 1 fax (credit card RMA form for cross-ship), and I had a replacement card shipped to me next day (my dime on shipping, they offered free ground shipping on replacement warranteed cards). All I had to do was box up the bad card. $20 total. Top notch. Considering it saved $1000s in irreplaceable photographs... <sigh>
Which *WILL* end up killing any brand loyalty your ex-company once had.
Personally, I don't care if your black, pink, purple, indian or polka-dotted. If you can't understand the words coming out of my mouth, you don't get my business.
Right, because all these countries want "made in " instead of "Made in "... oh wait... odds are that same mobo I just paid $100 is available for $15 in Taiwan...
No, it's just that when I do business in America, I find it entirely appropriate to staff the phone lines with people fluent in the majority language, English. Good luck getting decent Spanish or French language support if you live in the U.S. I know the company I did support for had French, German, Italian and Spanish as well as english on one floor. Our Chinese speakers had good enough english skills that our customers never had issues communicating with them, nor with our Indian team members. Good luck saying that about Microsoft or Dell.
The problem with supporting customers in America is one of languages. Having one person who can barely understand the language talking to another person who can barely understand the language is the height of stupidity service-wise, but apparently perfect for the bottom-line.
God, I love this country.
As to your "Bastard Operator" point, I agree, many of my customers had this very antagonistic attitude coming in, bitching and moaning... "Yup, yup, yup. I understand your pain. Now why don't you slow down, tell me exactly what is going wrong, and we'll get your sorted out split-time..." seemed to calm even the worst of them down.
Even the "I want to talk to your manager types"...
"Well what's that gonna do, you get to bitch and moan at him, while I'm stuck here with no details unable to work on your problem..." types. Then again, I actually had a clue about the product I was working on (not to imply that you didn't...)
In the end, every customer wants to be treated as a paying customer, the guys who writes your paycheck, even if it's only a fraction of a penny. Give them the time they deserve, and they'll be your customer for life. Brand loyalty is dead in America simply because the corps have lost sight of this.
Good day!
Or the statement: I am NOT hanging up this phone until you give me an RMA number. No, I will not send one more email or fill out one more web form. Run down to your little RMA guy sitting next to the coffee machine and get me a number. ... fine, I'll be sending the damn thing back, getting the credit card to cancel the transaction, and you can work things out. <click>
Not that this is limited to Indians... Plenty of American support lines can't do something so simple... <sigh>
Whatever happened to "the customer is always right?"
I'd like to take this moment to comment on great tech support. Promise Technology. Got me a quick RMA (next day shipping, my treat) on failed hardware. Total of 1fax, and 5 minutes of my time.
Anyhow, what most people are missing is that this ISN'T sending money to india. It's all about putting more money into the pockets of big money in the U.S. It is *ENTIRELY* about shafting the American/European worker. You think that $30K tech support job is all going to India or Pakistan or China? Hell no. Try $10K. Where's the rest go? The bottom line. Better ####s for wall street, bigger golden parachute.
And we WANT to put our social security money into a system so corrupt?
you have to ask yourself why this is so? We perfected the shovel 100 years ago, and to make them now, we make them at a loss. So we go on to make more complicated things, like dialysis machines, CAT scanners, aircraft and ships. Fiber optics and other complex high-tech gear that other countries just aren't suited for building yet. Why should we dedicate manpower to steel production when it's better suited for building complex machines (other than the possible DDOS of not having steel readily available).
Well, that and the american consumer has gotten used to the disposable goods economy. Cars, Electronics... We have made things so easy to make, that it's better to throw them away when they break, then to get new ones. False economy, at times, yes, but truth nonetheless.
Witness Saran Cutting Sheets. It's easier to throw out a sheet after cutting dinner on it, than it is to bleach/wash a cutting board.
-Chris
Really now? Exactly how much cheaper is it now because Dell or Microsoft has their support centers in far flung countries (i'll disparage no one by calling them thirld-world)?
Last I checked WindowsXP still cost more than Windows 3.11, and OfficeXP was still in the stratosphere...
---
Chris
mount -t svnfs localhost:/repos/project/branch3.1 /work
/work == commit.
umount
Works for me.
-Chris
The important lesson to take home, kids, is that in the Matrix, you don't *NEED* to know these things. :-)
So where the fuck are the memories, man?!?!?!
Argh... I'm so tempted to just open it up, and stick a logic probe in there.... grrrrrr
If you don't think your brain needs cooling, I challenge you to sit in a hot arizona desert with a gallon of water an hour for as long as there is sun shining. Yes, you get to wear sunblock, if you want. 3, 4 days, tops? ;-)
so is there possibility that there might be a hive of multi-billion year old bacterium out there?? Just waiting for some little kid with a rock hammer to set them free?
Scary thought...
Not all places offer space to hold seminars for free. Hell, most churches don't do it, most american legions don't, and I don't know a single KoC hall that does it, unless it's a favor for someone important.
So spit out your hunnerd and share with the world... I'm sure the FSF has GPL'd their seminars.
-Chris
Better to have Russian and American rocket scientists building heavy lift vehicles, than selling their services to any country willing to keep them fed to build ICBMs.
Save the world, employ a rocket scientist.
1988. Buran.
:-)
Mild success, because they took the road NASA chose not to (liquid boosters).
Complete failure, because it was mothballed.
And not even then, because branches do break, and lightning sometimes does strike the same place twice.
Um, the lunar day is some 28+ earth days. It is not dark forever on the moon.
Come on, we need some sort of civilian air power to repulse Osama's Navy...
Who was not instrument rated attempting to fly through a storm, at near dark.
Darwin at work, baby.
Keeping Jehovah's Witnesses away??