Support Boundaries for Desktop Apps/POS
Article ID: Q104587
Creation Date: 22-SEP-1993
Revision Date: 23-APR-1996
The information in this article applies to:
- All Microsoft Desktop Applications
- All Microsoft Desktop Systems
SUMMARY
This article describes the technical support provided by the
Answerpoint Support for Desktop Applications and
Desktop Systems products.
MORE INFORMATION
This article contains an overview of the support provided by support
engineers for each of the topics listed below.
Coding and Macros
Microsoft provides technical assistance to customers, so customers
can make appropriate use of Microsoft software and make design
decisions. When appropriate, Microsoft will provide examples that
illustrate the use of Microsoft software, but will decline to develop
code or macros to address specific customer requests. Engineers
provide the following support:
- Interpreting and explaining the syntax, functionality, and purpose
of code and macros.
- Educating the user in the process of creating, editing,
troubleshooting, and debugging code.
- Providing information on coding and macro resources, such as Microsoft
Press books, third-party books, Microsoft FastTips services, the
Microsoft User Group Outreach Program [(800) 228-6738], Microsoft
Consulting Services [(800) 922-9446], and other consulting services.
- Creating generic sample code. The code must be a generic example
to explain functions or expressions and must contain no
user-specific data.
NOTE: Desktop Systems support engineers do assist with the
conversion of GW-BASIC code to QBASIC, but other coding issues are not
supported.
Debugging
- Assisting the user in understanding the process required to debug a
coding problem.
Design
The following guidelines apply to applications, macros, system or
optimization techniques:
- Developing an understanding of how the user is trying to use the
product.
- Giving general design advice in conceptual terms.
- Stating advantages and disadvantages of each design option. The
user must make a decision based on the information provided.
Printing and Video
- Installing, setting up, and troubleshooting printer and Microsoft
Download service (MSDL) or other electronic services.
Security
- Answering user questions about security features, but not
disabling password protection at any level.
Setup, Configuration, and Installation
- Supporting Microsoft software that has passed certain
compatibility tests. For more information on compatible hardware,
query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
hct
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)/Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
- Interpreting and explaining syntax, connectivity, functionality,
and purpose.
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
- Supporting ODBC drivers bundled with Microsoft applications.
Other Operating Systems
- Attempting to support the functionality of Microsoft products
running on third party operating systems. We will attempt to find
solutions, but cannot guarantee success.
Earlier Versions
- Supporting earlier versions of a product on a "best effort" basis.
This guideline generally applies to products that are two major
versions previous to the version currently shipping. For example,
if the product being shipped is version 6.0, Engineers will
try to support versions 4.x and 5.x as well as version 6.0.
Third-Party and Microsoft Press Books
Engineers are not responsible for the technical accuracy
of material printed in third-party or Microsoft Press books.
For Microsoft Press books, use the following procedure to
receive support:
- If a Microsoft Press book contains a defective disk, call
Microsoft Press at (800) 677-7377.
- If you are having difficulty using a disk, contact Microsoft
Press, by writing to Microsoft Press, One Microsoft Way,
Redmond, WA 98052
VAX is manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation, all vendors
independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise,
regarding these products' performance or reliability.
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