Comments on: Sun: “GPL FUD is not a standard business practice.” http://blogs.gnome.org/mneptok/2009/08/05/sun-gpl-fud-is-not-a-standard-business-practice/ kurt von finck's blog Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:25:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Arjen Lentz http://blogs.gnome.org/mneptok/2009/08/05/sun-gpl-fud-is-not-a-standard-business-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-190 Arjen Lentz Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:32:17 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/mneptok/?p=234#comment-190 Kurt, you're too kind here - really. With the MySQL sales team it's endemic if not defacto policy. I know specific cases across continents, and I know the names of the sales people responsible. This both from when I was at MySQL as well as after (including after Sun acquisition), including very recent incidents. When following up, it was put down to the freedom a sales person must have to be able to make a sale. This is straight from VPs. Apparently sales must be allowed to lie to extract $ or more $ from a prospect. That is IMNSHO a dishonest and disrespectful business practise, and I vehemently object to any statement denying or deminishing this. Also, people really get weazled. How are they to know it's incorrect? That already presumes a level of knowledge that many if not most don't possess. By the time it gets figured out somehow, if it ever does at all, it's way too late. Assurances and followup procedures don't cut it. It just shouldn't happen, and where it happened in the past it should've been followed up on but has not. So it's effectively condoned if not sanctioned. In this case one has to judge by actions, not words. Kurt, you’re too kind here – really.
With the MySQL sales team it’s endemic if not defacto policy. I know specific cases across continents, and I know the names of the sales people responsible. This both from when I was at MySQL as well as after (including after Sun acquisition), including very recent incidents.

When following up, it was put down to the freedom a sales person must have to be able to make a sale. This is straight from VPs. Apparently sales must be allowed to lie to extract $ or more $ from a prospect.

That is IMNSHO a dishonest and disrespectful business practise, and I vehemently object to any statement denying or deminishing this.

Also, people really get weazled. How are they to know it’s incorrect? That already presumes a level of knowledge that many if not most don’t possess. By the time it gets figured out somehow, if it ever does at all, it’s way too late.

Assurances and followup procedures don’t cut it. It just shouldn’t happen, and where it happened in the past it should’ve been followed up on but has not. So it’s effectively condoned if not sanctioned. In this case one has to judge by actions, not words.

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