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- Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
- Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!destroyer!caen!nic.umass.edu!cis.umassd.edu!ulowell!woods.ulowell.edu!welchb
- From: welchb@woods.ulowell.edu
- Subject: Advice requested on computerized learning of VMS.
- Message-ID: <1992Jul28.102214.1@woods.ulowell.edu>
- Sender: usenet@ulowell.ulowell.edu (News manager - ulowell)
- Organization: University of Lowell
- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 15:22:14 GMT
- Lines: 32
-
- For several years we have been using a program named VMSCAI,
- which seems to date back to VMS V4.x. It has several disadvantages:
- for the administrator, it seems to be designed as a tool which was meant
- to have active oversight by a teacher; it hangs up at 500 students and
- has to be re-installed. For the user, it has a quirky password; most
- importantly it sometimes acts like a nasty teacher, and just won't let
- you out of the classroom until you finish some stupid exercise.
- I now see, in DEC's "Self Paced Learning Catalog", what is
- probably an update of the previous program, now named "Introduction
- to VMS".
- Thus my questions are:
- 1) What have your experiences been?
- 2) Is it worth the price ($950, except as a school we can get it for
- half price)?
- 3) Is the Additional Student Package needed? At $5.50 per student, this
- could run into big money. But we suspect that the package is just printed
- learning aids or exams which we do not intend to supply.
- =====================================================================
- More generally, what are your opinions about the following point: My first
- feeling is that such a program should be supplied as part of VMS. After all,
- if DEC wants (wanted to) convert new customers to VMS, then the most basic part
- of that process would be to make them comfortable in the fundamental concepts
- and usage. I admit that after some thought, and after seeing all the other
- products in the catalog, we could to some extent make that argument about any
- product, and come to the conclusion that DEC should give away all its training
- for free. I respect their right to make the business decision that every part
- of a business enterprise should carry its own weight; thus installation,
- training, maintenance, DSN advice, etc. should all be profit centers.
- Thus, should we petition DEC to include a computer-based tutorial for VMS
- as part of VMS?
- --
- Brendan Welch, UMass/Lowell, W1LPG, welchb@woods.ulowell.edu
-