>As far as looking for a better product, fine.  But, I think the entire
>problem is that the DCE/DFS community is just too small.  It just hasn't
>caught on.  We have had problems installing 3rd party application
>development software in our AIX DCE/DFS systems because the vendors are
>UNAWARE of the existence of DFS, and the software won't run in a DFS
>environment!
>
>I don't see the problems getting better until there is some requirement out
>there that makes a LOT more installations run DFS, so that vendors put more
>committment there.
>
>Wanda Prather
>The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

We're getting into DCE/DFS ourselves, and are sensing the lack of support as
well.  With the ADSM DCE/DFS support is so lacking, I don't hold out much hope
for much initiative from IBM, given that it is just a transfer of the
basically ad hoc AFS software - and AFS has been around for years and has a
much larger utilization than DFS thus far.  As a previous writer mentioned,
all this stuff is from Transarc, which is an IBM company, which speaks to
IBM's failure to perform coordinated marketing and support for its products.

IBM used to be a long-term perspective company; but now it seems to be looking
at little more than short-term return on investment.  Rather than leading and
defining the marketplace, IBM is continually holding back and looking to see
if there is any critical mass of income opportunity in an area before
committing to it.  Well, that's how you limit your growth as a company and
help keep those market segments from growing.  The timid look for opportunities;
the bold make them.

A few years from now some IBM executives may look back on DCE/DFS and say,
"See, it never amounted to much. Glad we didn't put more into it."
Self-fulfilling prophecy.

I would STRONGLY suggest to IBM management that they turn the DFS client over
to a segment of Transarc, and with their vested interest and expertise in the
technology they developed, have them fully develop an ADSM client which will
be an asset to the customers waiting for useful DFS support from ADSM.

     Richard Sims, BU