I have been a Dell guy for a few years, but I still have some old servers from Dell competitors kicking around. Guess what? I can't upgrade firmware on them without spending an obscene amount of money for a 90 day software contract - if I can get one.
All of which makes me appreciate Dell's free download policy and quality hardware that much more.
You see, I have a little niche business where I buy off lease/recycled/remarketed older Dell machines, refurb and upgrade them and then use them for myself and my customers. It enables smaller businesses who can't afford the high upfront costs of buying new machines the opportunity to realize the potential of having servers in their environment.
These are businesses that typically have a bunch of haphazardly networked PCs. Or even a "server" built out of a desktop machine with a few hard drives stuffed in it. They still use flash drives for critical backups - if they even do backups. Etc..
I LOVE Dell for that because some day, these same customers will eventually buy a new machine or 2. Guess who they ask for advice and guess what I will tell them? Especially when I tell them that after warranty support for the "other guys" is non-existent but with Dell you can continue to at least get support, drivers and firmware updates.
Because of this, I have already guided one customer through the process of configuring and purchasing 2 new R720 servers to replace 2 2950s and 2 1950s I refurbed for him a couple of years ago. I have to wonder how many machines Dell will ultimately end up selling just *because* of this?
Good job Dell and keep up the good work. Please keep taking the high road by continuing your current support policy rather than trying to squeeze a dime out of everyone trying to keep older hardware running.