Unbundling - we all do it, so let's stop complaining

[John Plocher]

> > [re: Bell Tech]
> > You don't get Nroff, or Troff, no online man pages either.
> Hold on, there - the nroff/troff support disappeared from *ALL* releases
> of System V beginning with System V Release 2.0 in 1984, because of the
> availability "as an add-on" of the new "device-independent troff." It was
> easier to support (and more profitable to sell separately) this way.

Let's all remember:

 o  AT&T unbundles the base system, DWB, Software development (SDS),
    and network extensions (NSE).
 o  Microport unbundles the base system, DWB, SDS, and NSE.
 o  Bell Tech unbundles the license, the media, and the manuals; does not
    provide DWB.

Since we all do it, all this "advertising" is just that.  We 
unbundle Unix in an attempt to provide our customers with what they need
without forcing them to buy things that they don't.  Each of us has a
different idea of how best to do this.

Being blunt, AT&T unbundles things because it can make more money by licensing
it that way.  Microport uses the same divisions because it makes paying
fees to AT&T easier.  Bell Tech sells Unix (with their drivers) at almost
their cost because they hope to sell you their hardware and make up for the
low price that way.


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So why is Bell Tech such a hero for selling a *complete* Unix?

	Bell Tech			Microport (list price)
	AT&T Vr3.0    			AT&T Vr3.0 v3.0

	 	    +- AT&T License -\
	 $145	    |-   Runtime    -/      $299 (includes Media + Manuals)
		    |-   SoftDev    --      $549
		    +-   STREAMS    --      $199
	not included     DWB 2.0    --      $199
	 $ 45	    --    Media           included
	 $125       --   Manuals          included
        ========		         ==========
         $315	                           $1246 if purchased seperately,
				           $1098 if bundled

What does the extra $783 get you from Microport?

  o  Easy installation via an automatic, interactive install procedure
  o  DWB 2.0 (nroff, troff, otroff, -mm, -man ...)
  o  Green Hills C/386
  o  System Vision - a fully menu driven System Administration program
  o  Korn Shell - both vi and emacs editing modes
  o  adb & kernel debuggers
  o  Virtual consoles (and with an EGA, virtual graphics screens)
  o  Serial ports that work without having to buy Bell Tech's HUB or ICC card
  o  Off the shelf support for almost ANY "dumb" multiport serial card
  o  Drivers available for Arnet, Computone/Intellicom, Comtrol Systems,
     Digiboard, Stargate, and Wyse's "smart" multiport cards
  o  Support for non-standard (ST-506 interface) MFM, ESDI, and RLL drives
  o  Support for SCSI disk and tape drives
  o  Tape backup that works with standard Everex or Wangtek 60 & 125 Mb tape
     drives (not just Bell Tech's own - ask them, their driver is designed
     to only work with their drives)
  o  A 30 day Installation Support and Money Back warranty - if it doesn't
     work for any reason, send it back for a refund
  o  A BBS (UA) which has bug fixes, new programs, access to tech support,
     & uucp/netnews interfaces. (408) 438-1680 [1200] & 438-6567 [trailblazer]
  o  Me :-)


  -John Plocher
   Customer Support Manager