From: Jim Mercer [mailto:jim@reptiles.org] Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 5:47 PM

On Fri, May 25, 2001 at 11:22:15AM -0400, deeann mikula wrote:

you are helping to create a society of users who think that Netscape/Explorer is the internet, with no concept of any of its other applications.

You miss the point. It's what the users want. They are not interested in maximizing efficiency <gasp>. They are into what works. They don't give a flip how.

...

unfortunately, i have accepted the fact that there is no stopping customers from emailing 10MB (and larger!) files, they can just go to our competition if we prevent it.

that would be my tactic, but then i'm my own boss, so i can make those decisions.

i get the impression that you (or someone else on the "pro-ftp-by-email" side) is "just and employee" and has to do as they are told.

When I started my own company, the first time, I was under the nieve impression that I was my own boss and could do whatever I wanted. Guess what? I wound up with more bosses then you could shake a stick at. They're called CUSTOMERS. EVERYONE has a boss! If you don't, then you are already richer than Gates or broke as hell. Fifteen years later (and lots of peaks and valley's) have not changed my mind on that. Owning your own company just makes you feel the pain that much more directly.

well, have a bit of guts, and try to explain to management what the implications (both current and local as well as future and far-reaching) of such policies are.

Everyone learns to pick their battles. This issue is so far down the priority list with ALL of my clients that you'd need a Saturn V booster, just to find the bottom of the well. Since they pay me to know better, they would simply question my sanity ... and proceed to find some one that will do the job they wanted to get done.

when 100 customers leave because 1 customer hosed your mail server, then maybe they will start listening to tachnical advice, as opposed to relying solely on marketing advice.

The smart ones find a way to have the cake AND eat it.