Re: Thoughts on Enterprise Rent-a-car

No vendor wants the publicity of losing a major client (even RS6000 division
not that cruel). This looks to be a decision based on software, not
hardware. I still have seen nothing to indicate all 400s are out. If we want
the 400 to look good, we need a campaign that trumpets the large number of
big & little corps using AS/400. Remember when Microsoft was using AS/400s
to run the corp? Best secret in the industry. IBM didn't have the balls to
use it. IBM makes tons of money on NT, Oracle, etc services. But I see ads
for  "blah, blah, Oracle, Sun, whatever ..." runs ... in 490 of the Fortune
500. That says something to the world. The current IBM ads about WebSphere
on TV say something, but not hardware specific. Is IBM going to do ANYTHING
with the Extreme campaign (other than wimpy memos to business partners, &
own web site)??? extremely quiet.....
BTW-Can I plug a new AS/400 web site, a friend brought up last weekend.
http://www.freesoftpromotions.com
Jim Franz

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Kestenbaum" <pike4@ix.netcom.com>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2000 12:21 AM
Subject: Re: Thoughts on Enterprise Rent-a-car


> I am curious as to one thing. A horror story such as this one, is never
> publicized. I have a simialr one, I'm sure there are many. Why is this not
> generally known?
> Phil
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <booth@martinvt.com>
> To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 3:20 PM
> Subject: RE: Thoughts on Enterprise Rent-a-car
>
>
> > A local firm went from a hard-fought for $450,000 Annual Capital budget
to
> > a new CIO and a $4,000,000 Capital budget for the first year and figures
> > close to that each year thereafter.  One complicated interactive user
> > application went from 3 minutes per transactions to 3 transactions per
> > hour.
> >
> > But how do you show this to a star-struck management?
> >
> > _______________________
> > Booth Martin
> > Booth@MartinVT.com
> > http://www.MartinVT.com
> > _______________________
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Art Tostaine, Jr." <Art@link400.com>
> > Sent by: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
> > 06/21/2000 09:32 AM
> > Please respond to MIDRANGE-L
> >
> >
> >         To:     <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
> >         cc:
> >         Subject:        RE: Thoughts on Enterprise Rent-a-car
> >
> > This is happening RIGHT NOW at a customer of mine.  All is true except
> > they got sold before they got
> > a new CIO.
> >
> > The CIO's goal was to get them on a more modern "NT" platform.  Before
he
> > was hired, and they were
> > using my code on the 400, they had NO inhouse staff.  Just my consulting
> > firm doing AS/400 and
> > application support, and another guy running around hooking up PC's to
> > talk to the 400 and run a UPS
> > manifesting system (written by him in Paradox)
> >
> > The CIO gets hired to fix everything, now there are 9 people on staff,
and
> > not one new application
> > rolled out by them in 2 years.
> >
> > They have a mighty slow TCP/IP WAN in place though.
> >
> > Art Tostaine, Jr.
> > CCA, Inc.
> > Jackson, NJ 08527
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
> > [mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Wynn Osborne
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 12:13 AM
> > To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> > Subject: Thoughts on Enterprise Rent-a-car
> >
> >
> > Is it a new CIO? CEO? COO?
> >
> > In my somewhat limited time in this business, I've noticed the following
> > trend several times. Maybe it applies here.
> >
> >
> > A new dude is hired. The company thinks he's an operational God. His
first
> > words are, "No wonder this company's having problems. The computer
system
> > stinks!" "Damn, he's right.", utters the CEO. "Fix it!"
> >
> > The dude consumes a few years making a comfortable living, implements
his
> > bold new "5 year plan for turning the company around", fires a bunch of
> > people, installs new hardware & software, receives that big bonus,
orders
> > new cherry wood furniture, and plays Mr. Politician for the remainder of
> > his tenure.
> >
> > Then one day, the dude's current boss notices (usually at the end of a
> > business cycle, e.g., a recession), "Damn these IT guys sure cost us a
lot
> > for damn little. We need a new CIO."
> >
> > Thus begins iteration 2. Iteration 2 happens without notice because
> > Iteration 1 started so long ago that nobody on the payroll was around
when
> > iteration 1 began.
> >
> > The process repeats itself until either the company is bought by another
> > company, or the company goes out of business.
> >
> > If the former occurs, the process again repeats itself, starting with
> > iteration 1. Why iteration 1 and not, say iteration 10? Because any such
> > iterations occurring before the company was sold are irrelevant, a.k.a.,
> > "Those idiots couldn't do anything right. We'll do it the right way."
> >
> > If the latter occurs, the company had it coming anyway since the problem
> > never was with the computer system to begin with---it was the way they
ran
> > the business.
> >
> > Quite simple really :-)
> >
> > Wynn
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At 01:49 AM 6/21/00 GMT, you wrote:
> > >It has to be more than that.  Even AS/400 DASD is cheaper than throwing
> > >out an installed system.
> > >
> > >What will the software be?  Is it to be a ERP package?  Some new
> > >E-Application Suite that has been proven and tested for 15 or 20 years?
> > >_______________________
> > >Booth Martin
> > >Booth@MartinVT.com
> > >http://www.MartinVT.com
> > >_______________________
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >"R. Bruce Hoffman, Jr." <rbruceh@attglobal.net>
> > >Sent by: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
> > >06/20/2000 09:27 PM
> > >Please respond to MIDRANGE-L
> > >
> > >
> > >        To:     <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
> > >        cc:
> > >        Subject:        Re: Enterprise Rent-a-car
> > >
> > >CHEAP DASD.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >===========================================================
> > >R. Bruce Hoffman, Jr.
> > > -- IBM Certified AS/400 Professional System Administrator
> > > -- IBM Certified AS/400 Professional Network Administrator
> > > -- IBM Certified Specialist - AS/400 Administrator
> > > -- IBM Certified Specialist - RPG IV Developer
> > >
> > >"If all you have is RPG, then everything looks like a 400!"
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: Colin Williams <colin.williams@technocrats.co.uk>
> > >To: 'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com' <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
> > >Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 10:51 AM
> > >Subject: RE: Enterprise Rent-a-car
> > >
> > >
> > >>But what do they think they will be able to do  on the RS/6000, that
> > >>they can't currently do on the AS/400?
> > >>
> > >>-----Original Message-----
> > >>From: Jim Oberholtzer [mailto:joberhol@compures.com]
> > >>Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 2:28 PM
> > >>To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> > >>Subject: Re: Enterprise Rent-a-car
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>Yup,  OUT with the 400 in with the 6000
> > >>
> > >>Why not?  IBM sells a boatload of new hardware, the AS/400 becomes
less
> > >>viable by loosing its largest data center, and soon we can all go
home,
> > >>Sounds like IBM New York got exactly what it wanted thanks to the
tragic
> > >>box campaign.
> > >>
> > >>+---
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