MS "red bull" blog: Lacking support?

June 21 2006

Todd Wanke needs a little education in public spin...On the MS "Tools for Moving to a Microsoft Collaboration Platform" blog this morning, he tries to claim victory over an IBM technote.

The technote in question discusses how the Microsoft Exchange connector for Lotus Notes is supported.  As it is a Microsoft product, the technote clearly explains

IBM is not responsible for supporting this product as it was not developed by IBM Lotus®.
Why would anyone have an issue with that?
Todd writes: Reality check:
"IBMs decision to pull support for their customers is unfortunate but we are more than happy to support them." IBM doesn't support third party tools, whether they come from Microsoft or anyone else.  IBM never supported these tools, so support was never "pulled".
"did anyone else notice how the original IBM press release changed? " What press release?  Todd links to a technote on IBM's support website.  Technotes are dynamic -- they change over time as more information about an issue is available.  That's why they have a "last modified" date.  It's not a press release, unlike the one that Microsoft now admits they modified back in January.  BTW it's not even a new technote -- it's been around for years.


Like everything else with the "red bull" project, this is a lot of hot air over nothing.  I wouldn't even have blogged about it, but the comment I left on MS's website three hours ago still hasn't been approved.  David DeWell noticed this also, so he's written on his own site, too.

Ed Brill Boston, MA USA Category:  Microsoft  Add/View Comments [13]

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  1. 1  Jim Bernardo  | 6/21/2006 3:53:17 PM

    I think what prompted the post here was this article: { Link }

    Change or no change, whether it's been around for years or not, it wasn't Microsoft that called it out...

  1. 2  Ed Brill www.edbrill.com | 6/21/2006 4:00:05 PM

    Fine, but that's not a "press release".

  1. 3  David DeWell http://workdomosphere.blogspot.com | 6/21/2006 4:01:53 PM

    @1 - It is not that MS is calling anything out. And that article is more on the sarcastic side. (Took me a minute and a posting to fall in that trap). The point was they are making a big deal out of the fact that IBM is not supporting a Microsoft tool and then making it look like IBM is pulling support for something it never supported in the first place... MS Exchange Connector for Lotus Domino. As stated, IBM will support up to the point Domino drops in the exchange.box.

  1. 4  Jim Bernardo  | 6/21/2006 5:58:20 PM

    No, it's IBM that has always promised customers to support them, cradle to grave, no matter what they're running. There are IBM GS folks who run Exchange for customers. There are IBM folks who support lots of 3rd party stuff. The IBM technote didn't say, "we didn't make it, but on behalf of our customers, we'll make a best effort, and escalate to Microsoft when we can't figure it out." What they said was, "don't call us, not our product." That's OK, but it's the antithesis of what IBM likes to be known for with their customers, at least historically, going back even to the days when I started there in the early 1980s...

  1. 5  Steven  | 6/21/2006 9:38:01 PM

    So if you got to MS Tech Notes and search for DAMO, there is a technote and it says at the bottom: "The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products. "

    I'm shocked!!!

  1. 6  Brett  | 6/22/2006 12:30:47 AM

    The more I read of this website the more its seems to have a IBM / Lotus zealot feel about it.

    The thing is IBM should "help" in someway customers use other companies technology with theirs. Otherwise its just like being a sore loser.

    Guess what? IBM / Lotus do somethings great, and somethings they are so far behind its like being in the 80's. Same for Microsoft.

    I like my information fair and unbiased from any point of view.

  1. 7  Nathan T. Freeman  | 6/22/2006 3:58:16 AM

    "I like my information fair and unbiased from any point of view."

    You must not get much of it, then.

    The gist over on Todd's post is that since IBM suggested in the product in a migration Redbook 3 years ago, they're responsible for continuing to support it, beyond it's use in Domino.

    Okay, fair play. By that token, Microsoft implicitly recommends every product with the "Works with Windows" logo on it. I'll be sure to call MS for support on everyone of those 30,000 odd products. After all, they've signed off on it and recommended it!

  1. 8  Deleted  | 6/22/2006 5:16:30 AM

    Deleted - no anonymous comments allowed (not even fun ones!)

  1. 9  Ed Brill www.edbrill.com | 6/22/2006 5:40:30 AM

    @6 - Brett, normally I would have deleted your comment since you've not given a full name or valid e-mail address, but your last comment used the e-mail address brett@bfg.com.au so we'll leave it.

    I'm not sure why you would read edbrill.com and expect a completely unbiased view. I do follow IBM's blogging policy and business conduct guidelines, but since my job is based on the success of Lotus Notes, I'm allowed to adopt a "home team" mentality, no? In this case, Microsoft made a "mountain out of a molehill" (perhaps an American expression), and still 24 hours later doesn't seem to want to back down from the misinterpretation. If this is the mindset inside Microsoft (and believe me, it is), then you have to wonder what other suspect information they are spinning into distortions. Oh wait, I've seen their presentations -- there's plenty more where this came from.

  1. 10  David DeWell http://workdomosphere.blogspot.com | 6/22/2006 8:29:23 AM

    @4 - Jim, as a former Lotii/IBMer you should know better than to try and include IBM GS in to this. IBM Global Services is an IT Consultant arm of IBM. So you are trying to equate support from IBM Software Services to IBM Global Services. Shame on you.

    And again, what planet are you on? What software services company has ever supported someone elses product. Microsoft would not support IBM products. They take the same stance as IBM does and you know it.

    Now, as far as IBM support is concerned (in my history of calling in) they usually bend over backwards to help you with integration in to other products. They usually send you to "the other company" when it comes down to a bug on the other end and they cannot support that. So, just unofficially, IBM usually does everything possible before sending you elsewhere.

  1. 11  Steven Joseph  | 6/22/2006 3:26:00 PM

    After my posting on the MS blog last night, they said they don't want to play anymore.

    But the last comment from Amy did seem to be inferring that their "point" was IBM (via the referenced 2003 Redbook) had recommended that Lotus customers use the MS connector product, but according to MS's reading of the TN, Lotus would no longer support Lotus customers in the use of the current version of that MS product.

    They said they should not be expected to support problems with IE crashing when using QuickPlace, but THEY never told anyone they should use QuickPlace in the first place.

    They sure went the long-way-around to get to that "point"!!!

    One must agree it is an interesting application of logic, but one can also see thier thought process would place the Lotus customer in a quandary. If you interpret it the way they did... "IBM says we should use this product, but they won't support us."

    Whether it is true or not, that seems to be their point.

  1. 12  stephen hood  | 6/23/2006 10:21:01 AM

    @10

    David thanks for pointing out the FUD of post @4.

    For fun, skip on over to @4's blog and read the article and in particular the first comment to BillB here...

    { Link }

    What a disconnect between what that comment espouses and what's being posted here. Thanks for pointing it out.

  1. 13  stephen hood  | 6/23/2006 10:36:25 AM

    @10 and @11

    David, if the past is any prediction of the future you will get no response on this blog -or- on the points you made on your own blog.

    The pattern is all too predictable...

    1. Make (at best) misleading statements.

    2. When your called on it don't respond -or- change the subject to another set of misleading statements with your next post.

    3. Never retract when your wrong since the value of your companies ethics/goals is more important than your own.

    4. Instead try and re-cast the misleading situation you started with words like "it's a matter of interpretation" when it's really a matter of facts. That way you at a minimum still create ambiguity and therefore FUD. See step 1.

    5. Repeat the cycle.

    It's all too predictable and boring - but yes it needs a response just for the record.