Jim must be a user at heart :-) Seriously, I understand his position, but
don't completely agree with it.

There must be a middle ground where users and IS can meet. Perhaps a
pool of 3-4 supported printers, 2-3 supported PCs, 1-2 supported office
suites, etc. The point is: Give users a choice of stuff that's been *tested*
and *compatible* with what you've got installed now. That's at least a
start on how to provide good service.

I've been at both extremes both as a user and as a support geek. I've
lived the nightmare of "special-of-the-week" soft/hard-ware that fails
shortly after the resident "expert" sets it up. And I've bad-mouthed those
closed-minded fools in IS who obviously don't know that product X
(supported) is inferior to product Y (that I've used and love and is
unsupported).

Let's not even talk about the people who create whole systems out of
spreadsheet macros or wordbasic, get a bunch of people using it, then
leave the company....................

Pat "now a user/programmer living with IS's choices" Shugart
Oaksoft Consulting, Inc.
(248) 489-6565

>>> Michael L Gueterman <[log in to unmask]> 12/16/97
11:54am >>>
  I agree with Jim, even though user practices like these make life
"interesting", in most shops, IS is a services-unit and they are you're
customers (like it or not).  You can talk to them, preach to them, scream
at them, but in the end, you still work for them, or not :)

Regards,
Michael L Gueterman
Easy Does It Technologies
email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.editcorp.com
voice: (888) 858-EDIT -or- (509) 943-5108
fax:   (509) 946-1170