SR shows me another useless, non-intuitive page where I am hit with an error
message (You dont have any saved products. Please see the Supported products
tab to select a product.) before typing in anything.
In addition, I have to figure out that I need to do *yet another* click on
"Supported products", which in turn gets me yet another META redirect inside
a noscript element. When I have finally reached the productSelect.action
page, I am again *first* shown some error message that there are no 'saved
products' (same stuff that made me end up on this page in the first place!).
I haven't found out where the "Supported software product selection" gets
its data, certainly NOT from sort of software contract. We don't have any
VSE here! Again, the window that shows our 'supported products' is so small
that not finding anything is pre-ordained. And Operating systems (supported
and unsupported) are mixed with completely insignificant components like DCF
or GDDM. And z/OS has versions 1.1 to 1.12 "supported" (with 1.2 and 1.3
missing) - well, that's good to know, I'll tell my managers that IBM was
wrong to deny us supoort for a 1.8 RSM problem! In addition, *someone* has
chosen numerical order, so 1.10 comes right after 1.1. Makes it real easy to
find!
The next page (after choosing z/OS 1.10), componentSelect.action, in my
opinion, is a clear case of some clicker not knowing what the heck they're
doing. The (again much too small) window looks like someone used a catalog
containing compids and their description, and only the descriptions are
shown in alphabetical order. In addition, "access method services" is
version 10.1.0, while some BCP components like allocation show version
7.5.0. This is utter nonsense, as the 7.5.0 is derived from the base fmid
(clickers, go and check what that is!) hbb7750, while the 10.1.0 comes from
heaven-knows-where. Did I also mention that "XES" can be found under "X",
but XCF cannot? XCF is found under "C". TCPIP cannot be found under "T",
either. In my opinion, leaving the choice of component to the customer at
this point and providing ridiculous detail like TSO/E Edit, TSO/E Enhanced
Connectivity Facility, TSO/E ICF Chinese, Japanese (yes, of course, a German
customer *will* have both Chinese and Japanese TSO!) is completely unnecessary.
And *then* I am supposed to choose a software contract (page
supportByMachineSelect.action). I am given two choices that look abolutely
identical. Did I also mention that the *technicians* (i.e. the SR users)
have no clue about the actual *content* of any software contract? We have
been given a customer number that was used way back when problems were
phoned in. That (in our case) one number is all we need. By chance using the
wrong contract of those offered by SR leads to calls from 'entitlement'
because something doesn't match. Which delays the start of problem
determination significantly, most especially during off-hours when the
'entitlement' group isn't available.
After choosing *some* contract, I am getting shown a list of all currently
defined SR users (page contactSelect.action), regardless of platform. At
this point, this page is useless. It might be used when updating, but not if
SR assumes that whoever updates is the new owner (see part 1).
Finally, I have arrived at the contactNext.action page, and like during
update, the window for my problem description is MUCH too small! Then I am
supposed to answer "How is this problem impacting your business?" Given that
IBM ALWAYS tries to tell me that my problem is not as important as my
management feels it is, I can see a lot of answers 'blabla' coming up in
that forced-upon-me field.
And then IBM has the gall to ask me for the operating system?!? Excuse me,
that is completely redundant, I have already chosen the operation system
z/OS 1.10 as the first step!!!!! Besides, the compid now chosen only
*exists* on z/OS!
Having to go through these contortions and reading that this is done to
"effectively address my problem" feels like IBM is ridiculing me.
----> 1. If you make me go through contortions, at least give me the option
to directly type in the compid this should go to thus abbreviating the time
I have to spent clicking through SR! Otherwise:
----> 2. Give me the following order in chosing my component: a) Hardware
platform b) Operating system c) component in that operating system
----> 3. Much better than 28: Use what ETR uses. It is a proven ("tried and
true") way of getting my problem addressed fast.
----> 4. Don't go into unnecessary detail for any z/OS component! Instead of
sight unseen using some software catalog, put some study in of the platform
you're forcing this upon!
----> 5. Do NOT make any component release-specific. To repeat myself:
Instead of sight unseen using some software catalog, put some study in of
the platform you're forcing this upon!
----> 6. Do NOT show the contactSelect.action page.
----> 7. Give the problem description window on page contactNext.action at
least three times as many lines!
----> 8. Do NOT force the question about business impact on me.
----> 9. Do NOT ask me for the operating system again!
Oh, did I mention that on the componentSelect.action#s_components (searching
for compid) none of the actual compids is found? Try 5752sc1ck or 5752scxcf,
for example, all you get for your pains is an error message.
----> 10. Make the search for compid work!
And did I mention that there are several sites that want to set cookies?
Like news.bbc.co.uk? Or safebrowsing.clients.google.com? Or
pt200204.unica.com? Need I mention that IBM must have invited one of these
sites into the HTTPS (note the "s") connection? Why is IBM spying on me?
(IBM has about 16 (yes, sixteen!!!!) cookies from www.ibm.com plus some 16
more from www-946 (or some other number) cookies already!
And I NEVER use google for searching, and I haven't ever visited any BBC web
site that I know of. No other browser session was open when those cookies
were requested.
----> 11. STOP SPYING and stop letting other sites pollute my computer with
more cookies!
Barbara Nitz
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