[SPARCbook] passwd cracking

[The Archimage]

Bill Bradford wrote:
> 
> You got the machines for $400 because someone wanted to dump the lot
> of them that they had, at cheap prices.  Basically, you got lucky.

C'mon, Bill...  Those Pentium Pro's you pointed me to for $89 probably
went for $2500 each new.  So what is their value now?  $2500, or $89? 
Would it be right for me to then have to buy the vendor's version of
Windows for $2500, or buy the off-the-shelf version for $180 and get the
appropriate hardware drivers via the vendor's web site for free?

> Think of how much a SPARCbook costs *from Tadpole*, and their $350
> charge for the OS patches isnt that bad.  Be grateful that you dont
> have to pay for the 2.6 patches.

Again, the value of the 3GX is $400.  Period.  That's what they sell
for, that's their value.
 
> Demanding that Tadpole give you free OS patches would be like buying
> a used Dell 486 computer from someone for $50, and then demanding that
> Dell give you a copy of Windows 2000 for free because you got the machine
> cheap...

Not at all.  I get a $50 Dell, I then go to Dell's web site, and
download the drivers/patches for the latest operating systems out
there.  I'm not making this up or wishing, this is how it is.

> Just MY opinion...

And I am glad to have it.  Thanks for maintaining this list, BTW.

I want to make clear - I am not anti-Tadpole.  I really appreciate the
fine systems they build.  Heck, I have a meeting with them later this
week to look at their version of the E220R's, and if I have my way,
we'll go with their stuff.  I am just a real customer service fiend, and
I don't think it's good service to make your customers pay for needed
patches.