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RE: Metalink and availability

From: <oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org>
Date: Tue, 23 May 2006 14:44:24 -0400
Message-ID: <AA29A27627F842409E1D18FB19CDCF27080F79D8@AABO-EXCHANGE02.bos.il.pqe>


Hehehe.....sorry, I gotta laugh.....so I don't cry....;-)

--
Mark J. Bobak
Senior Oracle Architect
ProQuest Information & Learning

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public
relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.  --Richard P. Feynman, 1918-1988


-----Original Message-----
From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Freeman, Donald
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 1:22 PM
To: jeremiah_at_ora-600.net; oracle-l_at_freelists.org
Subject: RE: Metalink and availability

I just wrote a lengthy feedback to a manager at Oracle.  I posted a
rather abusive document feedback and told them I thought the site was
maintained by Elbonians and that transiting the site reminded me of
sorting spaghetti.  They helpfully opened an SR for me, assigned it to
an obsolete CIS number so that I couldn't view or update it , and had an
analyst call me to tell me how to solve my problem.  

My problem is that the reference document is wrong.  I found out how to
do what I needed by asking somebody else.  This didn't prevent the guy
from reading the procedure to me.  When I got his attention I explained
to him in fluent Elbonian that he needed to fix the doc.  He promised to
try.  I then got an email request to rate the service.  I did that
appropriately(hah)and then got an email from the manager who helpfully
said that the analyst had updated the SR (which I can't access) with the
correct information and a request that the doc be changed.  

Anyway, maybe it doesn't really matter if you can access it or not.

-----Original Message-----
From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Jeremiah Wilton
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:21 AM
To: 'Oracle-L Freelists'
Subject: Metalink and availability


Today Metalink says:


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Each and every minor change or enhancement to Metalink that I can recall since it was first introduced in 1998 or so has resulted in massive loss of service. Most notable was "2.0" which tipped over completely on its first day and didn't work right for months. At least now you see error messages that say something instead of unfiltered PL/SQL exceptions. I guess they don't consider their customers' time and stability to be important enough to devote resources to the service sufficient to keep it working through enhancements. Unfortunately, the license language only promises "generally accepted industry standard" quality service. Alas, since people have been conditioned to accept a low standard of quality on software engineering, Oracle can plausibly argue that Metalink, despite being unusable, meets this standard. Jeremiah Wilton ORA-600 Consulting http://www.ora-600.net -- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l -- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l -- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l
Received on Tue May 23 2006 - 13:44:24 CDT

Original text of this message

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