Re: AS/400 as Religion??!! (was Re: Denise Buonaiuto Leave's AS/400Job)

Dean, as usual, makes very valid points. My statement was meant to be 
provocative, but not to start a flame war. 

I have been taught to check emotions at the door. Some brands - at their peak 
- have run the course. We see this a lot in the commodity and foodstuff 
arena. It's a plateau phenomenon. The brand runs up a steep increase only to 
peak out at a certain level. It has had its run, and will probably stay at 
close to the peak sales for some time.

Those involved in the product get hot and bothered that the sharp increase 
has leveled off. It must be because those damned marketing people are no 
longer doing their job. 

My response is that perhaps - just perhaps - the market is doing its job. The 
brand has run through its cycle. Time to reinvent the company, and to create 
the brand's successor. Now, maybe I'm wrong. I've been a worshipper of the 
AS/400 since Silver Lake, so I thought it was going to last forever, but 
things have slacked off. I still get calls for work on it. Things are going 
well. However, IBM has new leadership. Leadership that is aware of the aging 
of a brand. Perhaps this is what is really happening behind the very public 
complaints about IBM not supporting the AS/400. 

Food for thought, as usual.

Hank

In a message dated 8/19/99 5:17:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
DAsmussen@aol.com writes:

<< I'm sorry, but this "brand" has _NOT_ "run its course." >>
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