Symbolics prices in Europe

[baechler%liasun3.epfl.ch@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM (Emmanuel Baechler)]

> It all depends on how long you intend to be programming, or how long
> management intends to stay in business.  If management only makes
> decisions based on absolute cost, maybe they don't know how to make
> Return-On-Investment calculations.  For instance (plug in your own
> numbers):
> [...]

  Unhappily university administrators have difficulties to understand
this explanation. They frequently tend to try to satisfy as many people
as possible, which mean that they prefer to buy several cheaper computers
instead of a single but more powerful one. Do not also forget that in a
university environnment, where you develop new ideas, "productivity" is
not as easy to define and establish.

  Again, I am also sure that I am much more efficient with my Symbolics
that with a unix box. However, they are very expensive, and they are
even more expensive here in Europe where universities do not have a 40%
discount as in the U.S. In addition, the service of Symbolics Germany
is really poor, when I compare it to what I hear from the U.S. Under
these circumstances, even if I consider Symbolics machine as much more
powerful and efficient than cheap standard unix boxes, I can understand
administrators refusing credits.

Emmanuel Baechler
AI Lab.
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
MA - Ecublens
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland

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