Re: RHEL (was: Re: gEDA-user: More footprint stuff)

[Kenneth Long <kelong_2000@xxxxxxxxx>]

Try getting customer support like that from Dell. :-)



--- DJ Delorie <dj@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 
> > But RHEL costs ~$800 - $2500 *per year* for usable
> versions. If that's 
> > not "screwing your customers for profit", then I
> don't know what is.
> 
> Most of that cost is for 24/7 phone support, which
> our customers feel
> is a reasonable price for what they get.  Note: the
> way our company
> works, your questions end up getting answered by
> engineers like
> myself, not mindless drones like some other
> companies.
> 
> Do you think it's worth $800/year to be able to ask
> me questions and
> get answers (and often patches) the same or next
> day?  That's our
> usual turn-around time for gcc bug reports.  How
> much would it be
> worth to be able to get 24 hour turn-around on bug
> reports for gEDA or
> PCB?  Ok, now add that you're under the gun to
> finish your board, and
> we usually have engineers online 24 hours a day?
> (I've been known to
> send out patches at 2am local time)
> 
> We have some customers who get an engineer on site,
> too, and some that
> get an engineer's home phone number with permission
> to wake them up in
> the middle of the night.
> 
> *That* is what our customers are paying for.
> 



		
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