This is especially disturbing since I'm currently trying to get my own
Thinkpad working...
Forwarded-by: Nev Dull
Forwarded-by: glen mccready
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 16:54:16 -0500
[attribution removed by request]
(paraphrased from a tech support call to IBM)
*ring* *ring*
IBM: hello, ibm thinkpad support.. how may i help you?
me: my new 560X is crashing in win95 when i suspend
IBM: yes sir. there's a known problem with suspend and
PCMCIA cards... PCMCIA network and modem cards don't
support suspend mode properly. they're not power-aware.
me: *ponder* *think* you mean to say my Xircom network
card is the problem? wait.. the Xircom card suspends fine
on my Toshiba notebook. how can the problem be PCMCIA
cards not being power-aware?
IBM: yes sir. there is a workaround... stop any PCMCIA cards
you have prior to invoking suspend.
me: ok. i can live with that for the short term. has this
beein reported to IBM engineering as a bug and do you have
some idea of an ETA?
IBM: i'm sorry sir. this is not a bug. the problem is with
the PCMCIA cards.
me: ??!! fine. do you have a hardware compatibility list of
PCMCIA network cards which do work and i'll go buy one of
those.
IBM: yes sir. our IBM network and modem cards are supported and
known to work.
me: great! so the IBM cards will suspend properly?
IBM: i didn't say that sir. the IBM cards are supported and
known to work.
me: yes.. so the IBM cards will suspend and resume reliably?
IBM: i didn't say that sir. the IBM cards are our supported cards
for the 560X and known to work. you'll just need to stop the
card services before suspending.
me: so are there any PCMCIA cards which doesn't require being
stopped in order for the 560X to suspend correctly?
IBM: no sir.
me: and this is not considered a bug in the 560X?
IBM: yes sir. the problem is that the PCMCIA card doesn't support
suspend correctly.
me: even your own PCMCIA cards?
IBM: i didn't say that sir.
me: i can use both the IBM and Xircom cards in my Toshiba w/o
suspend/resume problems... and this is still not a bug with
the 560X design?
IBM: sir, the supported IBM cards are known to work on the 560X.
me: but not realiably?
IBM: i didn't say that sir.
i relented at this point and let the poor support tech go. obviously
he was under direct orders not to acknowledge a design flaw in
the 560X PCMCIA subsystem by management.
this was a perversely facinating call and i think i'll go have
a pizza and a beer now.
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