If you all may recall, a short while ago I was having some
difficulty with using FWB to format NetBSD partitions.  It has
been frequently suggested that I simply do the formatting,
then use Mkfs to change the partition types to the proper
NetBSD types.

Still, since Apple HD SC Setup can do it, I thought, shouldn't
FWB HDT -- for which I paid $60.00 -- also be able to do it?

I called FWB, spoke with several Tech Support people, none of
whom knew quite what I was talking about... they kept trying to
give me answers having nothing to do with the problem at hand; they
didn't understand the difference between partition type and partition
entry flags, etc.  The problem was, apparently, much too technical
for them.

After many long-winded explanations of what I was after,
they eventually asked that I send them a bit of code to help
understand what I meant, and they would give it to an engineer
to look at.  I sent them a piece of the Installer code, the
part that looks at the partition map and decides if the
partitions are the correct type.  I also included the header
file used to read in the partition map. Pretty simple, straightforward
stuff, really.  Any engineer who's written drivers should
be able to understand it.

Well, now, about a month after I did this, I received a call from
one of the Tech Support people, saying that the engineer would like
a copy of ALL of NetBSD, preferably in easily-installable format,
on a CD, because what I sent them was just too confusing, and
the problem too "piecemeal."

Hrumph!  I wish someone could explain to me why asking a question
like "Are the flags in the zero-block of partition map entries
settable and readable using FWB HDT? (and here is a copy of the
structure, etc.)" is unanswerable by supposedly technically
competent people.  And why it is that some of the Tech Support people
seemed to have an incredibly snotty attitude when asked questions
that were beyond their technical abilities?  I mean, I asked for
their help in good faith, and, at least at first, they basically
just said "It can't do that, sorry" before they even really
understood the question.

This whole scenario has gotten me quite steamed -- of course
I suppose I couldn't expect much more for any consumer software
company; they do not ever seem very well designed to offer
support to people with questions much more complicated than
"How do I format my disk?"  Perhaps I should be greatful that
they at least offered (after my many protestations) to help.

Grrrr!

- Tim Bessie

P.S. I am going to be extremely childish and CC this note
     to the few publically-available FWB email addresses
     I have found.  What the hell, I've got nothing to lose,
     as it seems I can't expect them to be able to offer me
     any answers to the simple questions I've put to them.

------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Bessie
tbessie@eci.net
bessie@apshit.com