Re[2]: IBM Spin Doctors on AS/400 Marketing

[Buck Calabro <mcalabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I guess this is where the confusion lies. Giving the false impression that
>Microsoft has spent some fortune marketing NT. Then, the demands that IBM
>do the same for the AS/400. 

In my humble, Unix and NT are not popular because of commercial 
advertisements, or agressive marketing; rather, they are popular because 
of word-of-mouth referrals.

Those who own an AS/400 are happy with them, and recommend them.
There simply aren't as many AS/400 owners as there are PC owners, 
so there simply aren't that many recommendations.

Another angle is the constant "damning with faint praise" that the box gets
in our own trade magazines.  Think of the tone of News/400: the constant
harping on what's missing instead of focus on what's there.  
IBM bashing is an all too common pastime for all of us.  
Given such a pessimistic environment, it's not surprising that we feel 
that the AS/400 is on it's way out...

That _is_ what we're really saying here, isn't it?  That if IBM doesn't
do something, the AS/400 will be replaced (for the worse) by NT
which has better marketing, even though it's less capable.  

Perhaps IBM advertising can help, but our own positive word of mouth
can't hurt.

Buck Calabro

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