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JeffLewis · 07-12-03, 05:22 AM

Before I start, I want to say that yes, Dell screwed up. Clearly, even a basic testing should have shown a problem and they should have held back on shipping the update or using it in their current production models. At the very least, since they know the problem exists and are trying to rectify it ASAP, they should have made a public notification of this on their website. They did pull the upgrade, which was a reasonable action.

However, having said that, I find myself compelled to say that some of the reactions I've been reading about this situation are a little over the top.

The people who have decided to ditch their Axim and go buy a iPaq solely on the basis of this situation are the ones who leave me most baffled. Surely it should have occurred to these people that if you can flash upgrade the entire OS, it was only a matter of time (and most likely a relatively short time) before Dell would release a patch to fix the problem.

I'm sorry, but I really find it hard to believe that anyone's life is so completely wrapped around their PDA (any PDA) that a slowdown renders the device SO completely unusable that it disrupts their entire life causing them to break down and give up - within a week or two of getting the device. I guess my first reaction is 'get a life - it's just a PDA'. I wonder how these people functioned before PDAs existed (you know - 1995?).

However, taking this to the next level of insanity are the small number of 'regular complainers' who seem to have decided to make this their personal crusade. One of them made the comment to a user here who didn't seem to have significant problems with the WM2K3 update by saying that there were hundreds of complaints and only one positive response - my first thought was that about half of the complaints came from the same four people.

The fact is that large companies can't turn on a dime - they measure actions in weeks and months, not hours. Dell screwed up, but they can't just stop everything and fix it. They have to keep moving and try to catch up. If Dell actually gets the patch out within the next week, they'll have had a three week turnaround, which is pretty good by most standards in this industry. There's also indications that it required Microsoft's participation in the fix (which also means it may have been an error on Microsoft's part...) meaning that it required TWO very large corps to respond quickly - twice as hard to do.

Sorry, this is just not the all reaching atrocity that some here seem bent to portray it as. It's a problem. It's being solved. When it's solved, you'll have a great PDA again.

Should you be annoyed - yep, you should. Should you be frothing and running around trying to put Dell down in any and every possible place? Well, it's your decision, but I think it makes Axim owners look pretty juvenile.

Cheers.

PS: I get my update on Monday. We'll see how it goes.

07-12-03, 05:22 AM	#17 (permalink)
JeffLewis Aximsite Minor League Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 206 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Being reasonable Before I start, I want to say that yes, Dell screwed up. Clearly, even a basic testing should have shown a problem and they should have held back on shipping the update or using it in their current production models. At the very least, since they know the problem exists and are trying to rectify it ASAP, they should have made a public notification of this on their website. They did pull the upgrade, which was a reasonable action. However, having said that, I find myself compelled to say that some of the reactions I've been reading about this situation are a little over the top. The people who have decided to ditch their Axim and go buy a iPaq solely on the basis of this situation are the ones who leave me most baffled. Surely it should have occurred to these people that if you can flash upgrade the entire OS, it was only a matter of time (and most likely a relatively short time) before Dell would release a patch to fix the problem. I'm sorry, but I really find it hard to believe that anyone's life is so completely wrapped around their PDA (any PDA) that a slowdown renders the device SO completely unusable that it disrupts their entire life causing them to break down and give up - within a week or two of getting the device. I guess my first reaction is 'get a life - it's just a PDA'. I wonder how these people functioned before PDAs existed (you know - 1995?). However, taking this to the next level of insanity are the small number of 'regular complainers' who seem to have decided to make this their personal crusade. One of them made the comment to a user here who didn't seem to have significant problems with the WM2K3 update by saying that there were hundreds of complaints and only one positive response - my first thought was that about half of the complaints came from the same four people. The fact is that large companies can't turn on a dime - they measure actions in weeks and months, not hours. Dell screwed up, but they can't just stop everything and fix it. They have to keep moving and try to catch up. If Dell actually gets the patch out within the next week, they'll have had a three week turnaround, which is pretty good by most standards in this industry. There's also indications that it required Microsoft's participation in the fix (which also means it may have been an error on Microsoft's part...) meaning that it required TWO very large corps to respond quickly - twice as hard to do. Sorry, this is just not the all reaching atrocity that some here seem bent to portray it as. It's a problem. It's being solved. When it's solved, you'll have a great PDA again. Should you be annoyed - yep, you should. Should you be frothing and running around trying to put Dell down in any and every possible place? Well, it's your decision, but I think it makes Axim owners look pretty juvenile. Cheers. PS: I get my update on Monday. We'll see how it goes.