[Asterisk-Users] Re: Polycom FW

[Noah Miller]

Hi Bill - 

> Thank you to all who responded to my inquiry below.  As explained by a
> few people, Polycom has a policy of withholding current firmware
> releases from users, thus forcing them to contact "authorized" resellers
> for support should they need this code.  Similar to another reported
> experience, I attempted to contact the reseller from whom I purchased
> this telephone, but was unable to penetrate the screening process
> because I had not purchased a support contract at additional cost.  So I
> was sitting with a one day old phone that had become a paperweight, and
> the other sources that *-users list correspondents had kindly referred
> me to were just not working for me.  Perhaps I was doing something wrong.

I second your opinion that Polycom needs to change their policy on this.
"Strengthening the Reseller Channels" is one of the more nonsensical
justifications for not publicly providing updates for their own product.
Particularly so, because most of the resellers don't know or don't care
about SIP firmware.  Polycom, if anyone there reads this, we will buy the
phones anyway, and we will be more likely to do so if you just offer the
latest firmware publicly.
 

- Noah