John, I can appreciate your frustration "but" when a software company lets control go on their strategic intellectual property they effectively dilute if not destroy the value of the corporation. Shareholders would have a real problem with NetApp putting their software in basically the public domain.
Some corporations license their software to home users as an additional revenue stream. This is because so many non-legal copies are out there already and LINUX based substitutes are going after the same low dollars.
What would happen if the software ended up running on every PC that was a wanna-be file server? I guess that would be RIP for SAK though. Can any software company effectively control it's usage and distribution once that has happened? Microsoft has a tough time and they are ~40 times larger.
I think Netapp needs to build or license to have built a consumer product. Then turn it over to a company capable of supporting it in an install base of millions. Put it on your Tivo box, MP3 storage, even data..... for the who house, school, etc. Would you pay $300 to $500 for a box you could slam IDE drives into?
I don't blame you for being upset. An F330 is a significantly better file server than any GP computer.
Hunter M. Wylie 21193 French Prairie Rd Suite 100 St. Paul, Oregon 97137-9722 Bus: 866-367-8900 FAX: 503-633-8901 Cell: 503-880-1947
-----Original Message----- From: owner-toasters@mathworks.com [mailto:owner-toasters@mathworks.com] On Behalf Of John Enger Sent: Monday, May 05, 2003 12:50 PM To: toasters@mathworks.com Subject: Fwd: "hobbyist" licenses?
Does NetApp have an official or unofficial "hobbyist" or "home user" program, for people who want to play with older systems at home in a non-production/non-profit environment, and cant afford a service
contract?
I've acquired a FA520 with four v2 SCSI disk shelves (full of 9G
drives) and
a full spares kit.
The unit came with a NFS license, but no CIFS - and I'd like to
experiment
with CIFS on this unit without having to build a UNIX box and serve NFS
via
SAMBA.
I'm running OnTap 5.3.7.
I've tried to obtain NetApp OnTap software for my F330, but with no luck. I ended up with a copy of a netapp simulator for linux... Not exactly why I purchased my NetApp system.
I have had exellent service with both Sun, SGI, HP and Digital when it comes to lisencing for home use. But the NetApp system is not in any way linked to a software lisence as other systems are. Or vise versa actually..
So my filer is at ease in the basement as a way too large book-support. And I am still ignorant when it comes to NetApp's and Data OnTap software.
Perhaps EMC Symmetrix is an easier path to walk with home use and lisencing?
John Enger http://www.johnenger.com