RE: OS/400 Releases

Cornerstone Communications currently supports down to V3R1 for 
Fax Server/401.  And the bar was raised just recently to that. 
Up until November 97, we supported down to V2R3.  We can still 
ship V2R3 tapes, just can't make any changes to them.

>From a development point of view, it would be great if we could 
develop for the current release.  However, a large number of end 
users are not at the current release of OS/400.  The higher we 
raise the bar, the smaller our market is.  This is why I raised 
a huge stink about Visual Age C++ not being able to target V3R1 
I the Code/400 & News400 forums.  And why I am still using ILE/C 
(yuk) on the AS/400 (but C++ under windows).

I think an ISV who required V4Rx is probably chopping out 60 to 
80% of their market.  After all, how many on this list are still 
on a CISC box?  On V3R6 or V3R7?  Most of your hands are 
probably going up.  But if I'm wrong, PLEASE let me know!  I'd 
love to use some of the V3R7 stuff in ILE/RPG (sub procedures, 
etc).

The other issue as Peter points out is the existing customer 
base.  It is one thing to tell a potential customer that you 
cant sell your product to them if they aren't on V4R2.  It is 
much harder to tell an existing customer (who is paying 
maintenance money) that unless they upgrade OS/400, they are SOL 
and have been wasting their Maint money.  Makes for pissed off 
customers.  And most ISV's can not afford many pissed off 
customers.  At least Cornerstone can't.  And pissed off 
customers are NOT any fun to talk to.  Happy customers are.


Regards,
Bob Crothers
Cornerstone Communications


-----Original Message-----
From:   O'Connor, Peter H. [SMTP:102736.3535@compuserve.com]
Sent:   Wednesday, March 04, 1998 11:28 AM
To:     INTERNET:MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject:        OS/400 Releases

David asks:    "What are other s/w vendors approaches to 
non-supported
OS/400 releases...do they stop supporting that release when IBM 
does?"

It has been PAE's idea to support as many releases as possible. 
 We still
can support  all products to 2.3.  We will continue to support 
these
releases up fixes if needed.  However, we will be adding more 
functions to
products which will only be available starting with a particular 
release
level.  THE GUILLOTINE virtual processing  which is a *NONSYS 
and *ALLUSR
option is only availble starting with 3.7.    THE GUILLOTINE 
concurrent
processing will be available from 3.1 up.

There are many users who want to upgrade but have problem with 
Y2K which
have to be solved before going to an IBM supported release.    I 
believe we
will continue with 2.3 until the Y2K is no longer an issue, if 
that ever
happens.  As a business,  it is easy to drop support.  As a 
human being, it
had to drop a client into a pit of lions by dropping support for 
a product.
 One has to do what your mind tells you is the best.   I could 
not sleep at
night cutting someone off.

Don't know if this helps or not.


Peter H. O'Connor
PAE Inc.
7 Riverway Rd.
Salem, MA 01970-5343
978-744-8612(T)
978-745-7945(F)
e-mail 102736.3535@compuserve.com
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