Installing complex tools

[kevin Abel]

I will be starting a new project that will not have a lot of code in it.  It will have to do with getting tools such as TIBCO and Enterprise software installed and configured.
Ill need to slow down on learning Java for a while.

I"m looking through the topics in CodeRanch and don't see a place that covers this topic.   I like CodeRanch very much as you can probably all tell by now.  CodeRanch has the word Code in its name so maybe asking questions about configuring software tools does not belong in this great place.

A decade ago my account rating  on Stackoverflow went too low.  I just entered a dummy question on stackoverflow and it did not seem to block me yet.

I think that  I will be asking questions on install and enterprise topics for a few months.   First I'd ask support from each vendor.  Then stackoverflow.  I don't know if I should post on CodeRanch.  

I would have posted this in the "Other" selection but I only have 3 of the 5 cows that I need.

I don't expect to have questions for a couple of weeks.  I'm planning ahead.  

Thanks all,

Kevin

[Ron McLeod]

Maybe the Other Big Data forum, but honestly I don't think questions specifically related to TIBCO business intelligence products are a good fit here, and it would be unlikely that you would see any responses.

The TIBCO community forums would be a much better place to go to when looking for help.

[kevin Abel]

Ron,
OK
It makes sense.
Thanks,
Kevin

[Tim Holloway]

It's been a while since I heard of TIBCO. Definitely look to their own support first, as it was never a major feature on the Ranch, just usually mentioned as an aside on other questions.

For Java Enterprise software installation and best maintenance practices, definitely consider the Ranch.

For Linux Enterprise software software installation and best maintenance practices, ask in the Linux forum on the Ranch. I run an enterprise grade server farm and daily deal with all sorts of stuff involving the Red Hat/CentOS family, Debian/Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi. For Windows…. well, I don't do Windows anymore, so someone else will have to help.

For cloud-based, virtualization, and containerized issues, I hear there's a really clever guy who hangs out in the cloud/virtualization forum.

[kevin Abel]

I"ll have to get more details once I start my new project.  
I'd prefer to put the pressure on the vendors to assist me for each piece I have to get working.  I'm a fan of entering in trouble tickets as soon as I hit a snag.  It is one part of subscription software compared to shareware that I appreciate.
What has happened to me a lot is the vendor says they recently realized the issue and they have a patch.   I could have searched for weeks if I didn't ask.  Some companies communicate what they recently fixed.  Others don't advertise their mistakes and I have to ask.

Kevin

[Tim Holloway]

kevin Abel wrote:I"ll have to get more details once I start my new project.  
I'd prefer to put the pressure on the vendors to assist me for each piece I have to get working.  I'm a fan of entering in trouble tickets as soon as I hit a snag.  It is one part of subscription software compared to shareware that I appreciate.
What has happened to me a lot is the vendor says they recently realized the issue and they have a patch.   I could have searched for weeks if I didn't ask.  Some companies communicate what they recently fixed.  Others don't advertise their mistakes and I have to ask.

Kevin

Your experience with vendors has been better than mine, then. I'll admit that I'm no longer in the business of contacting big-name software houses for support, but my progression over the years has been like this:

Ancient times: call support number. Support person answers. Usually the same person, so we have a good working relationship.

Not-so ancient time: support number: "Please stay on the line. Your call is verry important to us..." etc. Bonus for bad "on-hold" music. Xerox was the first to hit me with this and they didn't even edit the music-on-hold tape decentlt

Internet era: Phone suggests, "please us our online forum". Online forum is like a bad copy of the CodeRanch, reps are frequently monkey-with-script level. Turnaround is often overnight, since support staff is on the opposite side of the world.

Later Internet era: Online forum is almost the only contact, but "pro users" are giving out as much (and often better) help than the hired staff. And often in a closer timezone.

It's common for products, whether commercial or open-source to have a knowledge base that you can query before actually opening a ticket (and the ruder ones will pointedly tell you to look there first). Also, support forums dedicated to a product are not exclusive to commercial products. The commercial support these days is often just taking common open-source practices and adopting them (and their software, in many cases).

[kevin Abel]

Tim,
Your description of commercial support matches what I have encountered over the past 30 years.  

Nowadays I look through documentation and books. Then  I create my question and put it on the vendors site right away knowing there will be a day or two delay.

I look on forums for answers.  If nothing matches I post on a forum.  

After a couple of days, if I don't get a response I notify the first forum that I am posting the same question in multiple places.

If still no success I look for a workaround.

Once I get a solution I post it on the forums.

Occasionally I found out that the feature does not exist or work.  I once spent months trying to get a test tool to work with Business Objects GUi.  Eventually the vendor admitted it is not designed to handle it.  I showed the evidence to the client and it abruptly ended the contract.  A year later the tool was being advertised as now having the capability.

That's been my approach.

Kevin