ADSM-L

Is IBM Listening? (was: Usefullnes [sic] of ADSM requirements page??)

1996-12-09 12:37:47
Subject: Is IBM Listening? (was: Usefullnes [sic] of ADSM requirements page??)
From: "Scott D. Courtney" <courtney AT TIMKEN DOT COM>
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 12:37:47 EST
** Reply to note from "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>   
  Sat, 7 Dec 1996 00:00:29 -0500


> Date:    Fri, 6 Dec 1996 10:39:23 PST
> From:    Dave Cannon <dcannon AT VNET.IBM DOT COM>
> Subject: Re: Usefullnes of ADSM requirements page??
>
> Dave Crockett expressed my own sentiments very well.  The many ADSM developers
> who follow this list do so on a voluntary basis.  We participate because we
> are interested in what our customers have to say and want to contribute to
> their understanding and satisfaction with the product.
>
> Dave Cannon
> ADSM Development

I wish to add my sentiments in support of IBM's people, here and elsewhere.
Say what you will about IBM being a big, bureaucratic giant---they are, and
I've yet to meet an IBMer who claims otherwise.  But I have been a network
admin, UNIX admin, and developer for over a decade and in that time I have
never encountered a more professional and dedicated team of people than the
technical side of IBM.  We have contract support on ADSM, AIX, and DB2,
among other products, and when I call for technical help on any of these
products, I am ALWAYS treated with respect, professionalism, and courtesy---
even when it turns out that I have made a stupid RTFM mistake.  When I have
reported a bug, I have without fail been contacted when the APAR is complete.
It may not happen as fast as I'd like, but the problems don't just get dropped
through the cracks as I have seen at other software companies.

I have seen some truly nasty flames directed at IBM people on CompuServe
and the Internet.  Not just complaints, these were personal attacks that
made me ashamed to be on the same forum.  I have NEVER seen an IBM employee
respond in kind to these.  I consider myself level-tempered, but I do not
know if I could be as professional under the circumstances.  I'm not
implying here that the original post was a "flame" because I don't think
it was that strong.  My point here is not to berate the
poster, but to praise the IBM teams for outstanding professionalism in
their responses to complaints.

Lest I sound too goo-goo-eyed here, let me point out that IBM didn't get
responsive because their management are altruistic.  They got this way because
in the early 1980s a bunch of small, lean companies started eating their
lunch and made IBM realize it had to start LISTENING to customers.  But
however it happened, the IBM of today is a long, long way from the IBM that
I knew Way Back When.  I can think of a certain other large company, very
big in PC operating systems today, that would benefit from the same sort
of lesson <g>.

The products aren't perfect, and the corporate infrastructure sometimes
impedes good people from doing their best, but comparing IBM to their
competitors I have nothing but praise for their personnel.  ADSTAR has
its problems, but I am impressed with the frequency and stability of the
new releases I have seen, and the effort being put into them by the
development team.  Flaws notwithstanding, this software has saved my
caboose on several head-crash occasions.  To the developers, I say:
keep it up, you're doing fine.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Purgamentum init,        Scott D. Courtney, Sr. Programmer/Analyst
Purgamentum init,        Scott D. Courtney, Sr. Programmer/Analyst
exit purgamentum.        The Timken Company (Canton, Ohio, USA)

cc: dcannon AT vnet.ibm DOT com
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