Re: Dis- advantages of AS/400

Don,

In a message dated 12/4/98 11:59:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
schencd%AM_LZCH%VASELL@mr.mops.wl.com writes:

> :::Tell them Dean.. this is the attitude we need!
>  :::
>  
>  I do not understand this.
>  
>  This is a COMPUTER SYSTEM, fer cryin' out loud ... not your mother you're
>  defending here.
>  
>  List those disadvantages. That's a GOOD thing. So WHAT if a competitor goes
up
>  against the AS/400; isn't IBM's midrange able to fend off any wannabe?
>  
>  And if the competition really IS better? Good! We've just raised the bar.
>  
>  Competition is GOOD. Repeat that out loud with me now: "Competition is
GOOD".
>  
>  (can you imagine the Olympics where they show up but DON'T compete?)

I don't mind competition, in fact (coming from the land of Red Hat Software)
I'm all _for_ competition.  I just didn't like the tone of the original
missive on this subject, and liked the responses even less.  Sorry I didn't
save the mail so that I could respond to each one individually, but I didn't
see a single response on disadvantages that had merit.  Were I to list _my_
opinions of disadvantages they would include:

1.  Tier Pricing -- which escalates astronomically in proportion to additional
capabilities and services provided.
2.  Memory/DASD Pricing -- which is way "out of whack" compared to what CIO's
are used to paying on the PC level.
3.  IBM's advertising -- which is a disadvantage to us all.

Not many disadvantages to be had, and none that cannot be attributed to other
platforms, as well...

JMHO,

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

"I put instant coffee in the microwave and went back in time." -- Steven
Wright
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