[Amps] Russian tubes and QRO-Parts

[Roger (K8RI)]

On 12/31/2010 9:35 PM, Bill VanAlstyne W5WVO wrote:
> This is an all-too-common problem with small companies. They want a web
> presence, and they don't have a lot of money, so they take the lowest bid
> they can get to have "some guy" do it. They don't give a lot of deep thought
> to the fact that a website takes continuous maintenance, especially a retail
> website with constantly changing product offerings and inventory status.
Most of these web sites, this one included are quite straight forward 
using relatively simple techniques.

> Well, "the guy" who did the website disappears, gets a real day job, or
> whatever -- and the company can never get hold of him when they need him.
> More than likely, nobody in the company actually knows how to write advanced
> HTML code using today's high-level web design tools, which in any case they
> don't have. So they're stuck until... whenever.
This site would be quite easy to update and particularly with notifications.
Most sites using "advanced" techniques would be far better off sticking 
with more basic formats and appear to be done by some one trying to show 
off their programming skills.  Like many things the old "KISS" principle 
is the best approach.
> It could even be that the original "some guy" website designer never gave
> anybody at the company the FTP login and password to access the source files
> on the server -- in which case, they couldn't update the site even if they
> knew how.
That would be backwards and I know it happens.  The website designer is 
supposed to be given an account.  The sysadmin should be able to access 
anything on the system and there should always be a backup admin.  
Unfortunately there are many systems out there, and not just minor ones 
where there is no real organization.  The sys admin gets wiped out in a 
crash, or leaves and suddenly no one knows how to access the files or is 
able to access them.  There have been some high profile legal cases 
about this very thing over the past couple of years.
> This exact thing happened to my daughter, a graduate interior designer, on
> her first website. It does happen. Obviously, I don't know that this is what
> is happening with THIS website, but... could be.
That's what happens when the computer system is run by amateurs and 
people who think they understand computer systems.
I no longer work at that level, but do take care of a number of web 
sites. On each of those sites the "sys admin" gives me an account.  
There is nothing that I can do that he, or they can not access.  If I 
bit the big one today, they could have someone else working on them by 
nightfall.

Unfortunately many web sites are far more complex than they need to be. 
However even advanced HTML is a very simple language. It only gets 
complicated when they make calls to routines written in other languages 
"with no documentation" on a computer system .  The source code on the 
site in question has good internal documentation and it fairly straight 
forward.

What happens in many of these cases is the desire for a "web presence", 
the business is a sideline (I don't know in this case) and the web site 
is not of primary concern.

73 es Happy New Year,

Roger (K8RI)


> Anyway, my sympathies. Good luck.
>
> Bill W5WVO
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Glen Zook
> Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2011 00:15
> To: amps at contesting.com
> Subject: [Amps] Russian tubes and QRO-Parts
>
> It seems that there is a problem with the QRO-parts website information.  I
> ordered a pair of the GI-7bT tubes and they have not arrived.  So, I sent an
> E-Mail using that feature on the website.  The reply that I received says
> that even though the website says those tubes are in stock in Dallas, Texas,
> they are not and instead of the promised 3 to 5 days delivery time it is
> more like 2 to 4 weeks delivery time from Russia.  I did not inquire about
> any of the other products that are supposed to be in stock here in Texas.
> However, I do wonder if they are really in stock in the United States.
>
> Also, I was informed that the U.S. "contact" person is on vacation and will
> not return until after 4 January 2011.  Again, there is no indication on the
> website of this.  I did recommend that the website be updated to tell the
> truth about the shipping point.
>
> Glen, K9STH
>
> Website:  http://k9sth.com
>
>
>
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