Link: Users hate apache server

Ok, so they don’t. But there are some bits they do hate and Rich Bowen goes through big issues present in apache’s configuration file. Warning, it is a PDF file.

What I find interesting is that we see the full circle feedback in action here. Because the people supporting apache are mostly the same people who are developing (or documenting) it, they have credibility and strength of getting things done. Sometimes, within days….

On the other hand, in a big company the support is done by a separate team, whose only channel of communication is via bug fix requests. From what I have seen, there are no easy channels for a support person to suggest a feature to the developer just because it drives customers crazy. It has to come forth from the developer himself/herself, from customer surveys created by marketing, or through osmosis process where each layer from support upwards feel enough pain to finally pass it on unofficially.

I would love to be proven wrong here. I really would. I have even tried checking all the Safari books on ‘customer support practices’ to see what they say about such suggestion channel. Big nothing. The support is at the end of the chain and their opinion is not worth listening to.

In the best case, support people can create their own documentation and FAQs to help customers, but nobody would look at it and see whether there is a simple developer level fix to stop a lot of annoyance level issues.

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