Re: System/34 -- Stinkin' NT _AGAIN_

[DAsmussen@xxxxxxx]

Don,

In a message dated 98-02-20 21:19:10 EST, you write:

<<snip>>
> Let's see here (looking at front page of InfoWorld) ... hmmmm ... this 
>  major publishing company is saving $700,000 EVERY YEAR by dumping their 
>  AS/400's for NT?? Hmmmm...

I'd like to see the figures _after_ implementation.  Low-balling has _always_
been the reason that people have predicted midrange systems' (_NOT_ just the
AS/400) demise since the advent of the PC -- rapidly approaching 20 years.  If
the publisher achieves its goals, it will be in direct contradiction to a
recent ComputerWorld article on this very issue.  Hardware cost savings often
balloon to match the way the customer is _REALLY_ going to use the system, and
systems management is a nightmare.  NT is not yet _nearly_ as scalable as even
the much-maligned OS/2 Warp Server, let alone NetWare.  My current primary
client has 3 people running _ALL_ systems management functions on _SEVEN_
AS/400's in support of 5 live facilities and close to 3K users.  We have C/S
applications running core areas of the plants, and an average of 50Gb of data
at each plant.  Can a similar NT shop boast the same support staff?

>  Different needs require different OS'es. NT's not for everything ... but 
>  neither is OS/400.

I agree (and have stated so here on several occasions).  I just disagree that
NT is ready to "step up to the plate".  BTW, GUI-schmooie and Internet-
schminternet.  The /34 was designed to handle the applications of its day, and
did so admirably.  The AS/400 was re-designed to handle GUI and Internet, and
is also doing so admirably.

IMO, the pressures of NASDAQ and an increasingly computer-savvy user /
management base that _STILL_ thinks the bit-heads can write an entirely new OS
or application in 90 days is the _REAL_ source of our problems.  Yes,
applications are now more complex.  Yes, more care is now being taken during
the design phase of the average IS project (haven't been handed a scribbled-on
cocktail napkin in years).  But the heart and soul of implementation, unit and
integration testing, has taken a beating.  "Meet the date and we'll throw some
patches on the Internet later" seems to be the currently preferred project
management methodology.  The latter is inexcusable for an application, but
borders on criminal negligence for an operating system...

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists." -- Joan
Gussow
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