[SunRescue] RE: [Sunhelp] Ugh. Please read.

Chris & Amy Petersen havoc at apk.net
Thu Mar 30 14:18:22 CST 2000


Bill:

I've read all the latest info on this from the list, as well as the 
original letter.  If Sun would like to shoot themselves in the foot, I
guess they can continue on in this fashion.  The SunHelp site has been
an invaluable resource for a long time now for many, many people.  
Through your efforts, and the efforts of the Sun user community, SunHelp
has helped provide timely and invaluable information on topics of great
interest to people using Sun's product (and in a better fashion than
Sun themselves have ever done).  I can't see how any one in their right 
mind (short of vindictive lawyers) would see your site as any sort of
detriment to Sun's business, the Sun user community, or Sun's hardware
or software products.  Personally, there are times that I think we in
the Sun user community aren't critical enough of Sun.  They're not
perfect, and only through honest and clear dialog with their own user
community will they continue to be successful.  I don't care how good
their hardware or software is, I will not recommend dealing with or
personally deal with a company that takes an antagonistic approach to
the very users who try to help.  These types of slap-in-the-face moves
hurt everyone and do nothing but tarnish the image of the company in 
question.  Sun comes off here as that of a large bully not concerned 
with its customers or user base, merely as a greedy corporate giant 
eager for only money, and not for the type of customer-company 
partnership that they claim to want in all their advertising.  
"Sun, the blot in dot.com..." seems more appropriate to me.

For what it's worth, I've got a $400,000+ hardware order about to be
placed for Sun hardware, followed by a much larger order in the future.
If anyone from Sun is bothering to listen, these orders are now in 
jeopardy - I'll take my business elsewhere, to a company that is more
respectful and interested in it's own users.  McNealy, you're turning
your company into nothing better then your own worst enemy, Microsoft.
This is just another step in that direction.

Bill, keep up the good work, but I (and I imagine all of the rest of us)
don't expect you to have to shoulder this burden alone.  If there's 
anyway that any of us can help, including legal fees, let us know.  
And if you're ultimately forced to shut down the site, none of us will 
hold you responsible.  We'll just move onto to a vendor that really
wants
our business.

Chris Petersen
Systems Engineer, Unigraphics Solutions Inc. (Sun partner company)
Systems Consultant, ComAuction Inc. (Sun architecture-based
business-to-business auction site)

(My opinions do not necessarily reflect that of Unigraphics Solutions
Inc.,
it's customers or partners.  They do reflect the advice and commentary
that
will be provided to any interested party, however, including clients
that
I may advise or be working with.)


Bill Bradford wrote:
> 
> Apparently the things they dont like:
> 
>         1.  The "topdog" PDF files i posted a month or more ago, that I
>         downloaded off the www.sun.com site and kept a mirror of.
> 
>         2.  Apparently they say I'm stil violating their trademark rules;
>         dunno if they saw my "legal disclaimer" page, etc.  I'm waiting on
>         this guy to call me back.
> 
>         3.  They dont like the "sunhelp" name and/or logo.
> 
> I'm posting the letter they sent me, now.
> 
> Bill
> 
> On Thu, Mar 30, 2000 at 01:04:03PM -0500, Fuerst, Robert C. (Chris) wrote:
> > I am going to send a mail to my Sun contacts to find out what is going
> > on....
> >
> >       -----Original Message-----
> >       From:   Gregory Leblanc [SMTP:GLeblanc at cu-portland.edu]
> >       Sent:   Thursday, March 30, 2000 1:00 PM
> >       To:     'sunhelp at sunhelp.org'; Sun Rescue List (E-mail)
> >       Subject:        RE: [Sunhelp] Ugh. Please read.
> >
> >       I'd say "f^$@ 'em", but they've got more money for lawyers.  Anybody
> > got a
> >       PR email address for Sun so that we can all complain to them?
> >               Greg
> >
> >       > -----Original Message-----
> >       > From: Bill Bradford [mailto:mrbill at mrbill.net]
> >       > Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 8:38 AM
> >       > To: sunhelp at sunhelp.org; rescue at sunhelp.org
> >       > Subject: [Sunhelp] Ugh. Please read.
> >       >
> >       >
> >       > I just got a FedEx overnighted letter from Sun's legal
> >       > department; see the
> >       > news section on the site for details.  needless to say, I may
> >       > or may not
> >       > decide to continue doing SunHELP if I cant post things that I
> >       > obtain from
> >       > public web sites without running it through someone for
> >       > permission first...
> >       >
> >       > Oh, and they dont like my logo either.
> >       >
> >       > Bill
> >       >
> >       > --
> >       > +---------------+-------------------+
> >       > | Bill Bradford | mrbill at mrbill.net |
> >       > +-------BEGIN GEEK CODE
> >       > BLOCK-------+-----------------------------------------+
> >       > | Version: 3.12 GCS d- s:++ a- C++++ US++++ P+ L- E--- W+++
> >       > N++ o K+++ w---   |
> >       > | O- M-- V- PS PE+ Y+ PGP t+ 5 X- R-- tv+++ b++++ DI++++ D++
> >       > G++ e++ h r++ y+ |
> >       > +--------END GEEK CODE
> >       > BLOCK--------------------------------------------------+
> >       > _______________________________________________
> >       > SunHELP maillist  -  SunHELP at sunhelp.org
> >       > http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/sunhelp
> >       >
> >       _______________________________________________
> >       SunHELP maillist  -  SunHELP at sunhelp.org
> >       http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/sunhelp
> > _______________________________________________
> > Rescue maillist  -  Rescue at sunhelp.org
> > http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
> 
> --
> +---------------+-------------------+
> | Bill Bradford | mrbill at mrbill.net |
> +-------BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-------+-----------------------------------------+
> | Version: 3.12 GCS d- s:++ a- C++++ US++++ P+ L- E--- W+++ N++ o K+++ w---   |
> | O- M-- V- PS PE+ Y+ PGP t+ 5 X- R-- tv+++ b++++ DI++++ D++ G++ e++ h r++ y+ |
> +--------END GEEK CODE BLOCK--------------------------------------------------+
> _______________________________________________
> Rescue maillist  -  Rescue at sunhelp.org
> http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue





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