RE: Image catalog to install V5R2

Hi,

This is a somewhat emotive issue among some over here. The whole issue
around the Standard vs Enterprise models is pushing some customers off
the iSeries and what may be a trickle now could become a flood.
Especially so among the SMB customers. Most (if not all) of them run
Green Screen apps.The companies who previously opted for systems like
the 170-2290/2291 or the 720-1500/1501/1502 are now left with expensive
options, were they to stay on the iSeries.

Quite a number of these systems are installed at manufacturing
companies. The staff employed in the production environments are often
semi-skilled, with somewhat basic levels of education (the reasons for
which I will not enter into here in this forum). For them the most
appropriate applications are the Green Screen ones. These are also the
most robust apps for this type of environment. When I worked for the
local mining group De Beers, we had terminals that had been installed
620 meters underground, in all that dust and humidity. (Admittedly, that
was still on the 4381 and 9375, connected via muxes, 3174's and the
NCP).

In cases like this, the customer does _not!!_ want to GUIfy the apps.
What for? Just so that they can now force Mr Gates to take more of their
money? So now, what growth options are there on the iSeries? Extremely
(cost per transaction come to mind?) expensive ones! Maybe that is why
so many of our Small Medium Business customers are opting to live with
there current level of technology for as long as there are spares
available. In many ways, the system that they originally dedicated
themselves to (as far back as the S36) has gone beyond their reach.
Their bottom lines have not kept pace with the cost of the platform.
Sure, that is their problem. It is also a loss to us. BTW: if I do not
need to go 400+ miles to fetch my daughter, but only travel around town,
why will a Model T not do?

There are so many pros and cons to this over here that one could
virtually start a whole new list just for this.

Just my thoughts. Now go ahead and flame !! :-)

Cheers.

Jan.

On Tue, 2003-04-22 at 21:07, TechSupport@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> Welcome to reality.  One of our machines is also an 820 with 1100/35 CPW.
> We don't need more than 35 interactive but the comparable 825 upgrade is
> $200,000 higher than the machine I budgeted for this year.  I could upgrade
> to an 810 for only an additional $100,000 but the 810 can't be upgraded to
> anything else so why would a company put a brick wall right in front of
> their growth plan?  Forcing limited interactive CPW users to move to full
> interactive CPW is *WRONG.  All of these customers will be *SCREWED.
> 
> 
ost cases.  IBM is doing their best to sweep this under the
> carpet but hopefully more customers, as they begin to upgrade, will realize
> how bad this deal is and will complain.  My guess is that Rochester will
> continue to turn their backs but all we can do is complain.