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Conference 7.286::digital

Title:The Digital way of working
Moderator:QUARK::LIONELON
Created:Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5321
Total number of notes:139771

1696.0. "PC HOLIDAY SPECIALS" by BOOKS::ANGELONE (Failure: line of least persistence.) Mon Dec 16 1991 12:11

    On the back page of the 12/16/91 issue of digital TODAY
    I notice a section in the lower right-hand corner.
    
    It states that are four DECstation (Tandy built) PC
    available employee purchase. Everytime I try to access
    VTX and finally find the EPP entry it says that it is
    (basically) OUT OF ORDER.
    
    I would like to know more about these PCs, number one.
    Number two, does anyone really believe that getting
    DOS 3.3 is a really big bargain. Even Tandy (386SX
    and up) give you DOS 5.0.
    
    Rick A
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1696.1HAMMAR::BOWLESMon Dec 16 1991 12:281
    Call 800 PC BY DEC.  I'm sure they would be happy to hear from you.
1696.2Try VTX EPP again (here's their summary)STAR::BECKPaul BeckMon Dec 16 1991 12:3391
    I was able to get into VTX EPP just now. The summary of the
    program (with escape sequences removed) follows.



    EMPLOYEE PURCHASE PROGRAMS

    	 Digitals Employee Purchase Program, (EPP) in cooperation with the 
    Personal Computer System's Group (PCSG) is pleased to announce its 
    Personal Computer Holiday Special.  From now until December 27, 1991, 
    and while supplies last, you can take advantage of any of our 4 Holiday 
    Special packages, at a very special price!  
    
    	 Not only will you receive your `Holiday Special' DECstation PC 
    package at an excellent price, Digital will pay for all shipping and 
    handling costs, and your system will ship within 2 days of receiving 
    your order.  In addition, we have included MS DOS version 3.3 
    absolutely FREE of charge!  If you prefer, part number QB-MESAA-TA, (MS 
    DOS version 5.0 with Windows version 3.0) can be purchased separately 
    for an additional $160.00.  
    
			DECstation 212LP SYSTEM
    
 DJ-PC405-ES     SPECIAL EMPLOYEE HOLIDAY PRICE     $995.00

	Description		Part Number		    Quantity
	-----------		-----------		    --------
	System Box		PC441-AA			1
	512K Memory		PC4XM-CA			2
	(1MB of memory 
	in total)
	52MB IDE Drive		PC4XR-BD			1
	Color Monitor		PCXCV-B2			1
	Mouse (2 button)	PC4XS-AA			1
	Keyboard		PCXAL-AA			1
	DOS 3.3	(included free)	PC4XQ-AA			1

			DECstation 316SX System

 DJ-PC444-ES     SPECIAL EMPLOYEE HOLIDAY PRICE  $1,195.00

	Description		Part Number		     Quantity
	-----------		----------		     --------			
	System Box		PC442-AA			1
	2MB Memory Kit		PC4XM-CB			1
	52MB IDE Drive		PC4XR-BD			1
	Color Monitor		PCXCV-B2			1
	Mouse (2 button)	PC4XS-AA			1
	Keyboard		PCXAL-AA			1
	DOS 3.3	(included free)	PC4XQ-AA			1

			DECstation 316+ System

 DJ-PC425-ES     SPECIAL EMPLOYEE HOLIDAY PRICE  $1,095.00

	Description		Part Number		     Quantity
	----------		-----------		     --------
	System Box		PC461-AA			1
	512K Memory		PC4XM-CA			4
	(2MB of memory in total)
	40MB SCSI Drive		PC4XR-BA			1
	SCSI Adapter		PC4XR-CC			1
	Video Adapter		PC4XG-AC			1
	Color Monitor		PCXCV-B2			1
	Mouse (2 button)	PC4XS-AA			1
	Keyboard		PCXAL-AA			1
	DOS 3.3	(included free)	PC4XQ-AA			1

			DECstation 320+ System
			
 DJ-PC403-ES     SPECIAL EMPLOYEE HOLIDAY PRICE  $1345.00

	Description		Part Number		     Quantity
	-----------		-----------		     --------
	320+ Sytem Box		PC464-AA			1
	512K Memory		PC4XM-CA			4
	(2MB of memory in total)
	40MB SCSI Drive		PC4XR-BA			1
	SCSI Adapter		PC4XR-CC			1
	Video Adapter		PC4XG-AC			1
	Color Monitor		PCXCV-B2			1
	Mouse (2 button)	PC4XS-AA			1
	Keyboard		PCXAL-AA			1
	DOS 3.3 (included free)	PC4XQ-AA			1



     The staff of the EPP and PCSG departments would like to extend to 
   you and yours our best wishes for a very Merry Christmas, and a 
   Happy New Year.
 
1696.3What about the rest of the world??STREEP::BELLCHAMBERSTue Dec 17 1991 07:553
I know there are equivalent models over here - but can I order one of these
offers from here in the UK??

1696.4Another resourceA1VAX::BARTHBridge-o-matic does it again!Tue Dec 17 1991 08:457
This discussion might better be held in SHALOT::EMPPURPRO, the employee
purchase notes conference.  I don't know if that conference discusses
the US EPP only but it's easy enough to check.

Just a thought.

K.
1696.5Still Waiting for mine to arrive !!!!ODIXIE::BAHLFrom the House of Mouse in Sunshine StateMon Dec 30 1991 13:1811
    
    I ordered a PC package on Dec. 20 for my daughter as a surprise from Santa
    (christmas present) thinking we will receive it by the Christmas Day.
    
    Today is Dec. 30th and I am still waiting for the PC. Imagine while
    opeing your present on Xmas day, telling your child that her's is in 
    the mail.
    
    If I would have known about this I wouldn't have ordered and would have
    bought it from one of the local dealers... and my daughter would have
    enjoyed the present as we all did.
1696.6Keep a stiff upper lip.CLO::FORNERCheck out clo::sys$Public:muckman.psMon Dec 30 1991 14:498
    re: .-1
    	You know the ole saying, 
    		"Digital has it NOW! (just don't try getting it from them)"
    	or the ever popular
    		"Digital has it NOW! (and they're going to keep it as long
    		as they can!)"
    
    /p ;-)
1696.7Where's SantaMSDSWS::RCANTRELLMon Dec 30 1991 14:587
    regarding -.2
    Surely you didn't think DEC would deliver in 2 days.  I don't think
    that even shipping next day air that it could have been delivered that
    soon.  Most digital shipments take 10 working days.  
    
    Rick
    
1696.8Last-minute-Charlie or what?BEEMER::LAVOIEMon Dec 30 1991 15:294
    .7 -- that should be .5, and I couldn't agree more!
    Why, oh why would you wait until December 20th to order 
    a Christmas gift?  Especially a computer!
    
1696.92 days, too short, not true for allNERSW5::YATKOLA_Dave .......Mon Dec 30 1991 15:3611
    
    Well, what if DEC did deliver it in two days or less. Wouldn't we
    all feel good that we can make something like that happen. Myself
    I *know* that MacConnection will deliver most anything I order in
    ONE DAY - OVERNIGHT for $3. That to me is what we should shoot for.
    
    Just dreaming, or playing apples against ???
    
    Later;
    Dave Y.
    
1696.10KAHALA::FOXMon Dec 30 1991 16:123
    DecDirect ships most items same day or next day.
    
    John
1696.11MAC Connection serviceR2ME2::HOBDAYALPHA -- Digital RevitalizedMon Dec 30 1991 22:0012
    re MAC Connection:
    
    I called at 11:40 PM on December 23rd and asked if I could still get
    something shipped in time for Christmas.  Their response: "No problem,
    we should be able to get it there in the morning although Christmas
    volume is very heavy".
    
    I told my wife to expect a delivery around 9:30 AM.  The package
    arrived at 9:40!
    
    Now that's service!
    Ken
1696.12HOO78C::ANDERSONHappily excited, bright, attractiveTue Dec 31 1991 02:5152
    In Holland gifts are exchanged on the 5th of December and Dec was
    offering several PC systems. I ordered one and drove down to our Gouda
    facility to pick it up on the 4th.

    Absolutely no problem, there was a stack of them and they even supplied
    me with a cart to get it out to my car. There was a management type
    there at the same time picking up his system, as his was a different
    one he had fewer boxes and this distressed him greatly. I had to open
    one of mine and show him that it only contained a power cable.

    I got the thing home, and having installed many computers, I sat down
    and read the instructions before doing anything. Everything went
    according to the book except it would not do anything with the hard
    disk. Again following the book I ran the "customer" diagnostic which
    assured me that the hard disk was as dead as a dodo.

    I lugged the box back to work and discovered that I was not the only
    one with a problem. It seems that the disks had been wrongly configured
    and it was but a simple matter to reconfigure it. We managed to find a
    keyboard and screen and did it on the spot.

    I dragged the box back home and proceeded to install the software.
    Everything went well until we got to the reboot after loading the
    software onto the hard disk. No matter what I did it would not boot
    from the hard disk. As it was now the weekend I went round the computer
    shops and read the massive tomes that cover the subject of MS-DOS.
    
    Although acres of space is devoted to what each command does, entry
    points for subroutines are explained to the point of boredom and
    detailed interpretations of every error code known to man, the subject
    of booting the system was skimmed over in a few words in every case.

    On Sunday I decided to move all the files from my old system to the new
    one. The old one was already promised to someone else and I was now a
    couple of days late. So with about 15 megabytes of data and all the
    "bolt on" goodies transferred I was left with a system that would only
    boot from a floppy.

    Monday morning I received an Email telling me what the problem was and
    how to correct it. Sadly this involved formatting the hard disk. Since
    the new system had "windows" and a lot of new software installed I was
    facing a backup that required 18 floppy disks so I had to buy another
    pack and spend most of Monday night messing about backing up, removing
    and replacing the partition, reformatting and restoring the data.

    Now having worked as an engineer in computers since 1963 I found this
    to be a complete pain. What would the reaction have been had I been a
    customer with little or no experience of computers?

    I was very unimpressed with our equipment. 

    Jamie.
1696.13You want industry standard; you get industry standardRANGER::MINOWThe best lack all conviction, while the worstTue Dec 31 1991 12:5417
re: .12:

Jamie, you should have been unimpressed with MS-DOS, whose designers
managed to mix elements of RT11 and RSX-11M with wild abandon, and
without much improvement.

Consider buying a Macintosh next time: open it up, plug in the plugs
(about five: keyboard, mouse, display, display power, cpu power), and
turn it on.  Shouldn't take much more than 20 minutes start to finish.

The Mac folk deliver the hardware with the system pre-loaded and
pre-configured, except that there really isn't any "configuration"
that needs to be done.

Remember, 30 million people can be wrong.

Martin.
1696.14BUNYIP::QUODLINGMup - mup - mup - mup - mup - mup - mupTue Dec 31 1991 13:3711
re<<< Note 1696.13 by RANGER::MINOW "The best lack all conviction, while the worst" >>>
           -< You want industry standard; you get industry standard >-
...
    
>Remember, 30 million people can be wrong.

    Why not? The N00 Million people that thought MEssyDOS was high
    technology were fooled...
    
    q
    
1696.15And still made it for Christmas!MRCSSE::BUCKLEYIncreasing Energy Brings SuccessTue Dec 31 1991 13:507
Just think, you could have probably gone to a local systems house or retail
even and gotten 

A MUCH BETTER DEAL THAN EPP!

Mb

1696.16New Systems, 75% offCSSE32::RHINEWed Jan 01 1992 09:493
    Staples, In Nashua, had some systems last week for 75% off.  I don't
    remember the details, but it was something like a 386DX w/VGA,
    hard drive, some software etc. for around $900.