Re: Any takers? Repeat: Client Access Licensed Programs

Hey, there's Client Access and there's Client Access and there's Client
Access....I count three.  Should vendors duplicate the OS/400 operating
system too while they're at it?

Client Access 1:  FREE Host Services on the AS/400 
Client Access 2:  FREE Client Services on the PC (all the nice stuff you
note below)
Client Access 3:  BILLABLE Client Services on the PC (display, printer, and
file transfer)

I wouldn't expect lots of competition on CA-1 or CA-2 but when you get to
CA-3 it's a fact that there are many companies (WRQ, Attachmate, NetSoft,
Wall Data, Nlynx, etc.) that have better, faster, smarter, leaner, and
cheaper mouse traps than IBM which you deridingly call a KIA as though we
Murricans are some kind of disallowed undesirables.  That comment is VERY
distasteful to me on the face of it.  

I am in the process of updating 300 workstations to be Y2K compliant.  We
are installing CA/400 base programs (the FREE part of CA/400) for shared
folders and ODBC to a CISC machine and we are installing Synapse NetWolf
for display, printer, and file transfer.  The RISC machine has NetServer
instead of folders so there is nothing to do there.  The customer is saving
tens of thousands of dollars by doing this and they are very happy with
NetWolf as, IMHO, it does it all better.  They are very UNHAPPY with CA/400
because it is so intrusive in their desktops.  It takes from 30MB to 80 MB
of disk, modifies the registry, changes files in the windows\system folder,
and comes up with mysterious locks.  It takes an on site knowledgeable tech
to support it.

In fact, we installed one yesterday and it so hosed the PC that the only
way to cure it is to format the hard drive and start again from scratch
according to their most experienced senior tech.  Who can afford this?
They have a GP fault blue screen of death.  The PC won't start up.  Now
what?  I wish someone, perhaps you, could explain that.  I know from my
tech support duties that we are not alone in this experience.

IBM's solution is to remove all non-IBM drivers, VxD's, software, etc. and
be prepared to replace all hardware with IBM stuff.  Wow, now that's a
viable plan.

You say you've never tried alternatives.  Welcome.  Look around.  CA/400 is
not the only game in town.  There are better programs.  Do you see everyone
running just MS stuff on Windows?  Not much.  Yes, of course, no one every
got fired by buying IBM but really...check it out.

Sorry to have offended you.  Hope you take the plunge and look around.  The
water's fine.

Regards,


Jerry


At 08:36 AM 7/7/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Jerome,
>
>> In contrast, first party provider Synapse offers WinAPPC (SNA) and NetWolf
>> (TCP/IP) for display, printer, and file transfer that, IMHO, kick CA/400's
>> butt, offer more features, ....
>
>RANT(*ON)
>
>  Well I think I've seen this about enough times.  I don't question
>the quality of your product but you are comparing KIA to Dodge.  Your
>product appears to support (I checked the web site) a) Terminal
>emulation, b) Printer emulation, c) File transfer. Thats it!? What
>about the rest? How cum you don't support Operations navigator, or ops
>console??   What no ODBC Driver? No Incoming remote command? How about
>Data Queue support? What languages do you support besides english, any
>double byte support?  Can I get automatic updates from the AS/400 or
>use this to update other code, such as VRPG?  Is your product
>garanteed to be compatable with every future OS/400 release ON THE DAY
>IT SHIPS?
>
>  Don't get me wrong, I have never used your product and there may be
>features I missed on the web. Also it may be a great fit for many
>users, and be a rock solid full featured emulator.  You CANNOT,
>however, compare the two products and claim to come out on top because
>you have no match for over half the features.  You CANNOT represent
>your product as a replacement for Client Access, rather you compete
>with Personal Communications.  (Which by the way has an OS/2 version,
>do you?)
>
>RANT(*OFF)
>
>-Larry
>
>IBM Certified Specialist, AS/400 Client Access.
>
>
>-- 
>Larry Bolhuis         | What do you want to reload today?
>Arbor Solutions, Inc  | 
>(616) 451-2500        | Two rules to success in life:
>lbolhui@ibm.net       | 1. Never tell people everything you know.


Jerry Draper, Trilobyte Software Systems, since 1976
Specializing in connecting PC's, Windows, MAC's, and LAN's to the AS/400
Representing Synapse, Apple, IBM, UDS, Nlynx, MI, DCI, Netsoft, etc.
(415) 457-3431; (415) 258-1658fax; jdraper@wco.com
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