#Vesa Standard ?
5 messages in this thread
I'd like some advice as to who I can contact on this one. A few months ago I
was contacted by a professor at the local technical college who was looking for
some help on integrating 3DStudio and Animator Pro into his architectural
engineering course. They informed me they were intending to buy 20 seats of
Animator Pro and 3DStudio and they wanted some help on training. I, of course,
told them we could work something out. I gave them a couple of names of
knowledgable dealers in our area and gave them some recommendations on
hardware.
Now we get to the fun part. The bids went out and through some obscure reason,
they were forced to purchase the software, not through any local dealers, but
through some dealer over 450 miles away in a little farming town. Yes, not
Milwaukee, not even Madison, home of the University of Wisconsin, but
Menominee, where the state university's main course of study is home economics
or preschool education. Isn't that nice? Now we're trying to install the
software. These nice, brand new, shiny Zenith Z-stations 466XH weren't by any
means my recommendation, but for some reason these educational contracts seem
to go to the corporate types with the shiny wingtips who seem to have expense
accounts, and tell them everything will be ok.
Here's the problem. I have workstations sitting in front of me that say VESA
all over them. I have lots and lots of software that won't run. I have a
computer company who's putting on the air–we're a leading edge technology
company. You should talk to Autodesk. I have a dealer 450 miles away who's
never seen a 3DStudio manual or the software. None of the parties involved
know VESA from VW. So—whose fault is it? Is it mine for getting involved
with Autodesk products? Is it the professor's for wanting to train with the
software? Is it the dealer who didn't know until 3 weeks ago that he could
sell the software? Is it Zenith, who told the school that IBM and many other
companies are copying their leading edge technology? Or is it Autodesk for not
supplying drivers, because that's who Zenith is blaming for not supplying
drivers for their industry leading machines? So what do we do, run 3DStudio
and Animator Pro at 320 x 200? Tell the school that after paying $4000 per
machine they're going to have to pay $150 a copy for Diamond Speedstars that'll
do VESA? Shake my head, turn around and walk away secure in the knowledge I
now know why taxes are so high? Hmmmmm.
I would hope that the great powers that be from Autodesk, who are rumored to
read this forum, could enjoy the humor of this tale, but also possibly could
see some of the error of their ways. Alas, this was fact, not fiction. Could
there possibly be a happy ending?
Roger D.
Mornin' Rog'
I'll probably regret this…but here goes.
What's in this for you?
Whoever sold the equipment _And_ the software holds the ultimate
responsibility. Even more so than the Vendors (Autodesk & Zenith).
If someone tells ya a square peg fits in a round hole then make _them_ prove
it.
Unless the school is paying you $70.00 per hour to straighten _their_ mess out
I'd walk away. There's some business ya just don't need. I've given up on
"Institutional" Business long ago….way too much politics and very bad pay.
Of course if you're in to self inflicted pain…What can I say?.. <g>
LaTER
James
Roger,
When I've had trouble determining which chipset a particular video card
uses, (which you need to know to find the appropriate VESA tsr), I have often
had luck using one of several utilities that determine chip types. One is in
MSD.EXE, which ships with Windows 3.1. Another is WHICHVGA which comes with
VPIC … (shareware somewhere on CIS), or VGACHECK, which is included with the
zipped VESA file on GO ACAD. Once I know which chipset it is using, it is
usually a simple matter tracking down the correct VESA tsr. ' Hope this helps.
John Schmidt
Rog'
Murph'
I've given this further thought.
<< Could there possibly be a happy ending? >>
YES!
After first making Damn Sure you know the Chipset for the Graphics… Zenith
should have an "identifiable" Chip on the board somewhere, barring this you
would have to try to work with their tech. support people. Try your Free
Vibrant Graphics Demo…If it works.. Hey _SELL_ the School the 20ea. 3D Studio
& 20ea. Animator Pro Drivers, PLUS Your Time and make em' sit in a corner til'
they promise not to do it again. <g>
I think with a sale on 40 Vibrant Graphics Drivers plus Your Hourly Rate for
installing and configuring each and every machine you would probably make more
money on the deal than both the Hardware "zenith" people and the Educational
Dealer for the Software!
Am I all Wet on this one or what?<g>
James
Roger:
There is a major battle brewing right now caused by some obscure government
legislation. What the story is, in a nutshell, is that if Dealer A goes
into a school/government account, makes a presentation, works with them, and
they send the software out to bid, and Dealer B gets it, Dealer A has the
right to sue the school, the other dealer, and Autodesk for loss of revenue,
time, dameges, and punative damages.
So what Autodesk did was to only authorize a single dealer in evey region
to sell into the educational market, so that couldn't happen. What also
couldn't happen, of course, is any good old competition. So the dealer gets
these contracts handed to him on a silver platter, and doesn't have to know
anything about what he is selling into his monopoly.
Go figure!
Greg Pyros