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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 8 Other
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PSC-GER.ADV
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1997-11-27
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11KB
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221 lines
Installation: download the PSC*.EXEBIN files to a directory named by
your choise and run PSCINST. Distribution files will get deleted.
---------------------------------------------
PSC-AT - 58 very good reasons and surprising advantages:
My original idea was to create a PSCFG 'reference model' out of ICPA-AT, so
that the unique electronic reference to older IBM PS products in EMEA is kept.
Because ICPA-AT is field tested and was in practical use in Germany and Austria
for years, remaining coding errors are significantly less than in the EMEA-
Greenock version.
I started writing the program 'SuperConvert' in the evenings, which automates
the manual conversion coding work significantly and additionally optimizes the
created PSCFG code. SuperConvert also activates quite a number of new functions,
which are unique for the PSC-AT data structure.
The most important advantages:
#1 reliable data quality (better than 97%)
#2 up-to-date data and full functionality of the old IBM systems back to
the first PS/2's.
Important new functions, overview:
1. The complete PSC-AT package fits on two 1.44MB diskettes(#3), program code
and frequently updated configurator's data are separated (#4).
The shipped price and availability data files are minimized, a full
functioning set is provided.
The advantages for the users:
- significantly simplified implementation, the install program is
tailored to the PSCFG package installation needs:
-- user parameter setting is kept,
-- full NLS support provided,
-- the program code gets always refreshed - this solves many
installation problems and minimizes the users interactions (#5),
- minimized setup time (#6),
- impressive improvements of the over-all performance (#7),
- ready to use (#8),
- user interface selectable in 4 national languages selectable at
installation time or any time later:
English, German, French, Spanish (#9), Italian is planned,
- provide the distribution date in the OS/2 ICON description (#10).
The comparison figures of the data size for the OS/2 version
PSC-GNK: vs. PSC-AT:
Installed code 7.0 MB 5.5 MB
Installation program 0.68 MB 0.036 MB
Pricefile 0.252 MB 0.019 MB
Installation & init. setup-time: 12 - 35 min. approx. 5 min.
2. The distributed package is 'ready to use', the user need not setup base
functions so only one icon for starting PSC-AT is needed (#11).
3. IBM Systems selection is spread over different notebook tabs and logically
structured, which makes it much easier to find the right system (#12), and
much faster too (#13).
4. Partnumber, price and availability shows up on the primary model selection
menu, an important productivity and usability advantage (#14). The price
including VAT is also provided (#15) for private user.
5. A compressed price file (#16) and a compressed availability file (#17) is
shipped. Sample, the user sees instead of ../..:
NEW ORDERS WILL BE SATISFIED BY END OF NOVEMBER --> END OF NOVEMBER
NOW EOL PLEASE CONSIDER OETABXX --> Use OETABXX
APPROACHING END OF PRODUCTION - CONSIDER MODEL 8640-2D0 --> Use 8640-2D0
PRODUCT CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE WITHIN TWO WEEKS WHEN ORDERED
--> WITHIN TWO WEEKS
I do not understand why we do not get a 2 wks info, but this problem has
nothing to do with the configurator.
6. The local currency is shown in the header, like DM, sFR, US$, ║S (#18).
7. Different prices are selectable, e.g. listprice, dealerprice, and IBM
employee price could also be provided too (#19).
8. The exact quantity of monitors supported on the system is selectable. This
is just one simple sample to demonstrate how the user should be assisted to
guarantee the most accurate configuration output (#20).
9. A short parts information (help) is available for a good number of systems
(mini-PLET). Notice the fast process of less then 1.5 seconds (#21). The
catalog does not provide these details and the fast data positioning.
10. Error free loading of saved configurations| SuperConvert generates the
corrected data source code (#22).
11. Search by partnumber with 'Quick Lookup' works with all systems including
'old systems', the immediate configure function is supported too (#23)|
12. Add a 2nd or 3rd Backplane to a Server 720| Try to migrate a Server 704
to 1GB: you need just 1 (one) selection, which compares very favourably to
the 25 to 45 user interactions of the other today's systems (#24).
13. Full support for the new function 'Needs Assist' is provided, just specify
the selection criteria like:
Brand = Commercial (=PC Desktop 300/700)
Prozessor speed => 166MHz
RAM Memory => 24MB
Disksize => 850MB
Price excl.VAT. in atS < 45000 and 'Submit'
'Show details' und 'Parts Information' give you additional information for
making the best possible choice. With 'Configure' you can immediately
complete the configuration. GNK provides this function too, but we have a
fully automized process to keep all data synchronized (#25).
14. Presently the extended part description is in German or English, it can
easily translated into any other language (#26). The extended description
is called from the priced product line, the place were the user expects it
(#27).
15. The PSC-AT subset is created using the local country pricefile, this is
today the only way to eliminate a good number of wrong or missing product
offerings and a very simple and practical solution (#28).
16. Non-Greenock standard PCCo products are configurable, like ServerGuide
software and telecommunication products (#29).
17. Additional SCSI and IDE resource tracking is already predefined and
activated. The Canadian PSConFig was the base and the coding is reduced
and optimized, which brings performance (#30). About 35% of GNK's server
definitions needs corrections (#31).
18. A guide for beginners and ICPA users called '5 minutes and you have
configured your first IBM PC' is available in English and German (#32).
19. Because the source master data is just a one country version, the country
set generation is more a conversion than a filter. The coding efforts
of source data are substantially smaller compared to the maintaining the
full EMEA set of Greenock, and has therefore less error (#33).
20. Consequently the testing of the much small source set is significantly
easier and the resulting total quality extremely better (#34).
21. The country set gets tested before it is sent out, this eliminates a good
number of wrong deliveries (#35).
22. The new method of converting to the country tailoring could be used for
the follow-on Trilogy based configurators (#36).
23. As of a new combined IBM Austria + CER (Central Europe and Russia) support
Group in Vienna a close connection to server support experts, like to
Raleigh exists and helps to resolve possible unclear situations very fast
and very effective (#37).
24. The Vienna - PSCFG project team has close contacts to the field so that
user requirements and their implementation is significantly faster (#38).
The team also has practical experiences in using configurators and
understands the need of high accuracy and the productivity aspects are
well understood and are reflected in the coding style (#39).
25. IBM Austria also has a very good working relation to the Canadian PSCFG
development group and improvements of user needs and corrections getting
available significantly faster (#40).
27. There is a short and fast link to VIC Vienna (#41).
28. In the GNK package usually 'looses' a number of systems by the filtering
process. PSC-AT keeps all systems and allow a search by partnumber (#42).
29. The beta-test of the Austrian subset was performed in Oct. 96 with fairly
good acceptance of functionality, performance and quality (#43).
30. The PSCFG 2.20 function 'Quick Lookup' with the ability to use "wildcard"
characters (#44) and 'Manual Pricing' (#45). A good number of SYS3175
abends are fixed with a newer version.
31. The search by a type-model argument is now added, e.g. 8641-mz*, or
9577-v* (#46). There is also a systems selection tab 'Type-Model',
where all systems are shown by this sort sequence and selectable (#47).
32. Because we often get questions for the migration of older systems, we have
added references to FRU partnumbers (#48), the original marketing
partnumber is also shown (#49). Especially the combination harddisks with
installation kits allow fast migrations considerations (#50).
33. If individuel parts cannot be shown by partnumber, partsinfo tells you the
marketing partnumber of the part, e.g. harddisk (#51) and the technical
specifications.
34. Meanwhile a Polish version had been successfully pilot tested and versions
for the Czech Republic and Hungary are already available.
35. We use a new coding technique, which significantly improves usability and
combines it with data accuracy. Now partnumbers, prices and availability
infos are showing up at selection time, all co-requisites get automatically
included and all the sometimes quite awful limitation rules are completely
covered. E.g. look at the limitations for the 9,1GB Harddisk 76H2689 in
PLET ZG97-0110 and test it with the new PSCFG-AT (#52).
36. We now support a full-text search (Pricing -> Quick Lookup) which scans
the product descriptions and product details and fastens any type of
search (#53). This is especially important because the descriptions in the
UPOS pricefile are often unclear or wrong.
37. The country identifyer is now added by the extract program to the data
date and by the install program to the OS/2 Icon, the country version id is
now shown to the user before he is starting the configurator (#54).
38. Extended warrenty is now suported (#55).
39. A full regression testing with real customer configurations is always
performed before country tailoring (#56).
40. The new Netfinity Rack is now supported and code is enhanced (#57).
We have support of the EMEA partnumbers, price and availability infos
export to ordering systems, and all the standard functions of PSCFG.
41. The price can easily been shown in EURO (#58).
Meanwhile only few of the abough goodies have also been picked up by the EMEA
version, the majority is still PSCFG-AT unique.
If you want to have a closer look please ask for a copy.
PSC-SuperConvert subset creation and packaging: Erich Hartig, IBM Austria PCCo.
PSC-AT ADV 96-11-20 E.H. updt 97-04-10, 97-06-03, 97-07-28, 97-08-11