Techies,
This is a serious issue and it's a good topic for this forum... I have had
the opportunity to be exposed to
three sides of this complex picture during my career. First as a software
developer, second
as a marketer of ATE products (bare board testers), and now as a PCB
fabricator.
As a PCB fabricator with excess capacity and a need to sell off idle
equipment, I find it
extremely frustrating to have my vendors (current and past) openly threaten
my employer
with litigation if we attempted to re-sell some of our excess equipment.
These vendors demanded involvement during the resale process that would have
made
Bill Gates proud and probably would have the Justice Department gleeful at
the potential.
They wanted to be present on our sites to remove any operating systems or
executable
applications. This unethical intrusion into our business had an adverse
affect on our
ability to sell off our excess equipment. Long term we have started the
process of
replacing these vendors.
These vendors should have done their home work when they were selling and
installing
their products from the beginning. As, Joe mentioned, Big Blue, would only
lease their
main frames. My old ATE employer gave a life time software license that
followed the
tester. As long as you had title, they supported the tester. Maybe that's
why they
are still in business.
We are firmly committed to intellectual properties and licenses, it is the
cornerstone of
our business. It is a large part of my personal responsibility and job
function. Our
Vendors cannot change their business methods because the current economic
conditions
are not in their favor or because their products are not viable in today's
market.
Jim Axton
Corporate Director of Test
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Joe Fjelstad
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 3:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Machine registration fees...
Hi Russell,
Thanks for the note back. I again appreciate your thought and comments.
As I said previously, as long as no one is named, there is (I, at least,
believe) no harm and no foul.
If what is being reported is standard business practice, it is important
that those who are seeking to purchase used equipment be made aware and not
be blind-sided by such practices.
The expectations and the reality, we have learned from comments thus far,
can be quite removed from one another. Who knows?... armed with such
knowledge, it may encourage someone to buy a new machine instead of a used
one.
To stem the problem and concern, the equipment vendors can always opt to
go out and repurchase all of their used equipment when it comes on the
market following the approach described in an earlier message. In this way
they can create scarcity and keep prices where they wish and preclude the
employment of policies and practices. (which are likely to make few friends
based on what has been said.)
They may also decide, in the current business climate, to simply lease
equipment in the future and not sell it. That way they can control all
revisions, modifications and upgrades more closely and perhaps make or keep
their customers quite happy. IBM did not originally sell computers, they
leased and maintained them quite profitably.
I hold to my belief in keeping the dialog open. Censorship in matters such
as this, self imposed or enforced by authority, (beyond the common sense
strictures applied to indecent, hateful, mean-spirited or libelous language)
does little to help the advancement of science or the industry.
Reporting factual experiences is simply that, nothing more, nothing less.
Fabrications, falsehoods and the breaking or violation of confidences are a
different matter completely and I, for one, am trusting that all here
abstain from such activity.
At the end of the day, if any company is concerned that they might be seen
in a bad light for their business practices then it seems to me that, just
perhaps, it might be that it is their conscience is doing much of the
talking and they may want to consider reconciling themselves with their
actions before calling in the lawyers. Law suits, we all know, will only
enrich the lawyers.
Just a few more rambling thoughts from a madman... ;-)
Kind regards,
Joe ---------------------------------------------------
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