Re: links on the blink (fwd)

[hwb () upeksa sdsc edu (Hans-Werner Braun)]

> I think you're confusing "quality" with "locked into contract."  If
> you have quality, being locked in with fixed rates and service is a good
> thing.  If you don't have quality it's a bad thing.
>
> Try real hard not to blame the provider, but the idiot who signed a contract
> that doesn't have performance guarantees.  We [ACES Research] offer our
> clients contracts, and if they want to pay for performance guarantees, those
> too.  None of them whine, so I assume they're happy and not upset.  Some of
> them have locked rates till '98 that are just too good to mention.

This is a reasonable and appropriate response. The problem, I guess, is
that the environment is young and people do not know what is reasonable
to ask for in terms of service metrics, and service providers may not
know what is reasonable to offer. Do you (or others) have suggestions
about those, that could be used to address many of the concerns? We do
not have to fix things 100%, I guess, but it would be nice to get to
some high degree, rather than retaining status quo. Can we use them in
the inter-ISP realm?