Re: AS/400s being auctioned at Egghead.com

Hello Jim,

Not sure about this but isn't microcode considered part of the hardware?  So 
you could 
reasonably expect the LIC to be on the machine (it probably isn't but that's 
another issue).  
Then you could buy a copy of the MI Functional Concepts manual and the MI 
Reference and write 
your own version of OS/400.  Package it with a GNU license, supply the source 
code, then let 
people start work on the bits you couldn't do.  An RPG compiler group, a CL 
group, etc.  And 
JimOS squalls it's birth cry to the world.  IBM rolls over and unloads the 
Rochester plant (and 
Toronto, sorry Hans & Barbara. Jon -- it looks like you got out just in time) 
for a song to 
Intel who port OS/400 to Merced and all the windows dweebs flock to it in 
droves because now 
the marketing hype fits the product.  An OS that actually spends its time 
operating the system?  
Nah, that'll never catch on.  The fools!

Actually, I'd start with creating an RPG compiler so you could write the OS in 
RPG III -- on 
second thought, RPG II would be better -- the IPL process is a perfect fit for 
the logic cycle!  
And a task dispatcher could make good use of matching records logic.  Might be 
a good idea to 
disable LR though, we wouldn't want the machine to halt in the middle of the 
day cause the 
primary loop terminated.

Besides buying or selling an AS/400 with pre-VRM410 installed is illegal.  The 
operating system 
and licensed program products are licensed to a company, not the hardware.  
Only OS/400 at 
VRM410 can be sold with the machine and I don't think that includes the LPPs.

Regards,
Simon Coulter.

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//--- forwarded letter -------------------------------------------------------
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (WinNT; I)
> Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 17:46:09 -0800
> From: "Jim Langston" <jlangston@conexfreight.com>
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Reply-To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: AS/400s being auctioned at Egghead.com

> 
> Okay, say I bought this box for $200.  I take it home, I plug
> it in and... nothing, no OS.  For a PC I create a Linux disk,
> or a DOS disk and boot up, and have something to go on.
> 
> Say I wanted to use this machine to write machine code,
> or see what I could make it do, write my own OS.  Where
> would one start?  Would one HAVE to have the full version
> of the OS?  Can anyone think of a way to get it to boot up
> to some means to start plugging away?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Jim Langston
> 
> Roger Pence wrote:
> 
> > AS/400's pop up all the item on auction sites. Check out this Model 150
> > (bundled with OS/400) on eBay (there are always several AS/400-related
> > things on eBay).
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=232254886

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