[c-nsp] Visible bug IDs and Cisco service requests

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Buhrmaster, Gary [mailto:gtb at slac.stanford.edu]
>Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 12:16 AM
>To: Ted Mittelstaedt; Clinton Work; cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net
>Subject: RE: [c-nsp] Visible bug IDs and Cisco service requests
>
>
>
>Cisco (claims to) take pride in itself as an engineering company.
>Engineering companies should not let marketing get in the way of
>good engineering.  

That's the root of the problem.  High tech today suffers from
a serious problem - there are too many ignorant people out there
purchasing high tech.  Years ago a technology company could
reasonably expect most of it's customers to be either engineers or
admins, or otherwise knowledgeable or well informed.  Today though,
the majority of them are idiots.

>But no matter, good marketing should never say
>you have no problems (when was the last time Boeing/Airbus said
>"we never crash" and anyone believed it), but emphasizing the
>positive.  No one believes Cisco products are perfect (replace
>Cisco with any competitors name).

I agree, but the Cisco marketing people think that they have created
this image of perfection in the minds of a lot of their customers, 
and they don't want it shattered.  Maybe they have, I don't know.
Judging by Cisco's recent advertising campaigns (ie: Self Defending
Networks) when they put half of an obnoxious 10 year old's head on the
index page of the Cisco website, you know they aren't marketing to
engineers anymore.  I often wonder if Cisco Marketing thinks all of
it's customers are morons nowadays.

At least they finally got read of the half-a-head but they still don't
get it, see here:

http://www.cisco.com/now/poweredby/3.html

Note to Cisco - your marketing to engineers, you don't cover up
the sexpot with the floating menu and leave all the witches on the
right exposed, you cover up the witches and leave the sexpot exposed.
Get a clue guys, go read a Ridgid tool company catalog to see how it's
done!

http://www.cisco.com/now/poweredby/4.html

And that one is even worse - for heaven's sake they covered up her
ass with the menu - the only thing worth looking at in the entire
picture!

Ted