[NCLUG] local end-user support

[Chad Perrin]

On Wed, Nov 07, 2007 at 05:48:09PM -0700, Brian Wood wrote:
> Chad Perrin wrote:
> > On Wed, Nov 07, 2007 at 01:40:00PM -0700, Brian Wood wrote:
> >> All true, but the key phrase was "around here".
> > 
> > There was another key term: "end-user".
> > 
> > 
> >>
> >> There are plenty of outfits offering this type of support for Linux and
> >> Open Source systems, and even some "around here". While I don't mean to
> >> single them out for a plug, tummy.com is local and offers this sort of
> >> thing I believe, but I'm sure there are others.
> > 
> > I wasn't under the impression tummy.com provided direct end-user support
> > (which mostly means "Aunt Tillie", who can look up a provider of support
> > and say "My computer keeps crashing.  I need help!").
> 
> I guess your definition of "end user" differs from mine. To me "end
> user" is somebody running a mail or web server, or perhaps a database
> server for their office.

Someone running a webserver is not, in my mind, an end user.  That person
is a sysadmin.  The end user is the guy visiting the website with a
browser.  Similarly, someone running a mail server is a sysadmin, and an
end user in that case has Thunderbird, Mutt, or Outlook Express
connecting to the mail server in question.

I guess you're right -- our definitions of "end user" differ rather
drastically.


> 
> To my mind you are talking about a "consumer", or a "windows weenie".

A "consumer" is someone who purchases products and uses them.  That may
not in any sense apply to an OS, sometimes.  A "Windows weenie" would, I
imagine, be someone actually using MS Windows -- though the fact you
didn't capitalize "windows" may mean you refer to the "windows" that
appear on your screen when using a WIMP-model GUI, I suppose.


> 
> It's difficult to make a profit supporting consumers when the value of
> your service exceeds what they paid for their hardware. Linspire is
> trying this sort of thing, but I don't think they offer hardware support.
> 
> Firedog must be profitable though, given how hard they push it.

Firedog and Geek Squad benefit from the fact that they also promote
increased revenues for their host retail outlets as secondary effects of
their businesses.  As long as they don't lose money *too* quickly,
they're still "profitable" in that they encourage people to come in to
Circuit City and Best Buy stores (respectively) where they may
impulse-buy something, and they tie in with the cost of parts supplied by
Circuit City or Best Buy as part of service.  Where normally a
third-party support company has to consider the cost of parts an expense,
for something like Firedog or Geek Squad it's actually part of the
revenue stream, in that the host retail outlet (and parent company) is
benefiting from sales of parts.

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
Brian K. Reid: "In computer science, we stand on each other's feet."