RE: Need some idea's, direction, etc.

In the interest of critical thinking, it always helps to consider your
opponents' likely arguments so you're positioned with facts (and marketing
materials).  I suggest a chapter on the iSeries urban legends.

What's the long-time biggest knock on the iSeries?  It's a "closed box",
right?  All he has to do is point out the largest PDF in the IBM iSeries
library: the API manual.  The API's give technical users a usually (library
list...) consistent interface into non-critical areas of the system...and
then Chuck jr. should ask his questioners what function they WANT to access,
but can't, through an API.

Another major deficiency: perceived uncoolness because of its green-screen
legacy.  I have few dealings with web serving, but my impression is that the
platform doesn't matter much: it's still a mess compared to quick, safe, and
efficient green-screen interactive applications.  Read this one carefully:
there are no native development tools for the non-green environment.

WebSphere ought to be a knock too, I think, as should be the extremely poor
job IBM has done, overall, in providing development tools (look at the
number of folks today who haven't solo'ed on anything but the 20-year-old
SEU and SDA).

But there are plenty of good things: unbeatable batch/interactive job
control (the whole OS/400 work management deal, with priorities, etc.);
ability of different languages to talk to one another; scalability,
communications capability, a large, moderately-priced work force (too many
of whom pound away daily on SEU), and, on a big-picture basis, system-wide
stability which essentially eliminates the requirement for full-time system
programmers and administrators.

Regards,
Reeve Fritchman
Ayers Rock Software LLC
4915 S. West Shore Boulevard
Tampa, Florida 33611-3329
(813) 831-8574 (voice)
(813) 832-6391 (fax)
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-
> bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chuck Lewis
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 1:31 PM
> To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
> Subject: Need some idea's, direction, etc.
> 
> Hi Folks,
> 
> 
> 
> Unreal; my son is in the IT program at IUPUI (Indiana University/Purdue
> University/Indianapolis) and they have a paper to write on any operating
> system and why they think it is the best and guess what ? OS/400 is
actually
> one of the choices !
> 
> 
> 
> So he is NOT looking for any of us/you to write this paper for him and I
> have given him a copy of Dr. Frank's book. He is just needing some real
> world examples, etc. to better understand all of this and present it to
"the
> unenlightened masses". He knows from a long time back that the
> AS/400/iSeries and OS/400 have meant "dad could be home" when my other
> cohorts were in at all hours working on failed servers, messed up OS's,
etc.
> :-)
> 
> 
> 
> Willing to help ? It will no doubt REALLY open some eyes.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> 
> 
> Chuck
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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