Date   : Thu, 24 Mar 1983 03:59:00 EST
From   : Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE@mit-mc.arpa>
Subject: godbout

The problem is that they're in a technological fuge just now;
the Faire wasted them, now my crazy friend Tpony is up there.
And they  are moving.  I wanted to read them the copy I was
writing on them in my Faire report and I couldn't get past the
answering service; fortunately somebody in there called me.
       The 68000 is a problem; there are aabout two copies of
CPM-68K in existence that sort of work, and there seem to be
some fatal bugs in the stuff.  Digital keeps recalling and
revising.  It will all be made to work, but some patience is
going to be rquired.
       The problem t here is that there's not really enough
technical staff (they'd hire more if they could find them) and
the place is not well organized; instead, the programmers and
engineers are happy.  As hardware goes that's a great place to
deal with..  For software, I can see you would have trouble
because most of the Godbout people don't, deep down inside,
believe in software.  They don't even use computers in much of
their business application.  This seems crazy, but...
       They got one hell of a hardware outfit, though, and I
always recommend anybody buying their stuff deal with a good
systems consultant;; there's enough slack in the prices that you
can get systems for the advertised price through a systems
consultant and get the consultant free;  or you can buy at
discounts and do your own;  but if you rely on getting the
Godbout people on the phone, you may have leaned on a weak reed.
       I haven't solved the reachability problem except through
one secret technique involving strange golden liquid known as
Grand marnier./....