Re: Offload from the AS/400

[Vern Hamberg <hambergv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Art

At 09:17 AM 11/7/97 -0500, you wrote:

>I'd be an IBM bigot as well.  The real problem here is that I've stated
all of
>the as/400's advantages, yet we're still having meetings.

Just thought I'd jump in a little. Boy, I sympathize with you. I see the
same kind of stuff where I work. And I'm so undiplomatic about what seems
patent cant, that I've had to withdraw from these kinds of meetings and try
to advise from a distance. (Translated means, I have a hard time being
tactful with management when I think they're blowing smoke.)

One problem here is perception (see parts of spin doctors thread).
AS/400=legacy=old=bad, NT=GUI=new=good, or whatever.

Then there's the tendency, very human, to set things against each
other—great for articles in magazines but extremely unhelpful for us in the
trenches. E.g., how often do we see things like "____ vs. ____" (fill in
the blanks). I want, if possible, to have the attitude of "____ and ____"
(again, fill in the blanks). This falls, perhaps, into the category of
"religious wars", and we all know how hard it is to change the mind of a
zealot, even one faced with facts. BTW, these comments come from one who
struggles with needing to be "right" and tending toward judgmentalism. I've
come to prefer Tevye's approach, who said to one person in a dispute,
"You're right," and to the other, "You're right." When a third one asked,
"How can they both be right?", Tevye said "YOU'RE right!" Oy!

Anyway, good luck, and keep us informed, so we can learn from your experience.

Thanks

Vernon Hamberg
Systems Software Programmer
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company
400 Second Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN  55401-2499
(612) 371-1111 x480


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