FEATURE

Outstanding Products Of 1997
Join us as we pay tribute to the year's best products for UNIX. (UNIX Review Staff)

REVIEW

High-Capacity Tape Buyer's Guide
Numerous alternatives exist for high-capacity tape backup, but there is more to consider than just capacity. (Ralph Barker)

ENTERPRISE

Currents
IT Reality (Norton Greenfeld)
Daemons & Dragons
Proper Subnetting (William LeFebvre)

COLUMNS

PC UNIX
The Muddle (David Bailey)
Devil's Advocate
Drag Out The Dickens (Stan Kelly-Bootle)

PROGRAMMING

Software Explorations
Long Common Strings (Jon Bentley)
Java Advisor
Simple Gifts (Jim Waldo)

DEPARTMENTS

Viewpoint
Advertiser Index
UNIX Spotlight
Recent Releases
UNIX Recruitment

Supporting Roles
The end of the year is a time of different celebrations for various cultures, but almost universally a time of rededication and of reflection about family and friends--the support systems that help us in our daily lives. As we plan for the coming year, it also might be appropriate to extend the idea of support systems beyond the bounds of family and friends to the individuals and companies with which we do business. This larger circle also forms a support system; the relationship is symbiotic. These people and businesses depend on us as much as we depend on them.

If caught up in the holiday spirit, we might take time to address greeting cards to the point people in our larger support system. This is a simple way of saying thanks for the assistance they have provided during the year. Or, we might call technical support and report that, thanks to their daily efforts, we have no problems to report. Both methods are simple and inexpensive ways to express our appreciation for the role these people have played in our professional lives. Without their contributions, our own accomplishments during the year likely would have been diminished. Telling them that, however, makes all the difference in the world. After all, we are part of their support system, too.

These extended support systems have a long-term aspect, a more persistent cost-benefit ratio that also is worth remembering. Similar to the cause-and-effect that occurs in our world's complex ecology, our daily business decisions can have a long-term impact on the local, national, and world economy. As we concentrate on getting the best price or getting that extra option thrown in for free, we tend to ignore the long-term role of the vendor in our support system.

The fact that the vendor exists, for example, is what provides us with choice. While too many choices can be a distraction, a lack of choices can be catastrophic. If we take too short term a view of our business dealings, our actions may be akin to clear-cutting the last habitat of an endangered species--we may push a vendor (or class of vendors) toward extinction. Just as the role of an endangered species in the grand scheme of nature may not be immediately apparent, the supporting roles played by groups of vendors also may be easy to take for granted. Following the thoughts of Ayn Rand in her deceptively thin book, The Virtue of Selfishness, however, we may see that our own self-interest is served best by supporting others (in this case a variety of vendors), thereby ensuring the perpetuation of choice and the continued viability of our extended support system.