Re: White Papers e-AS/400 (was ... no Hardware specific Advertising) -- MIDRANGE-L

From Al Macintyre

I think we need better distribution of white papers that put the strengths of 
the AS/400 in perspective.  When we switched from S/36 hardware to M/36 then 
OS/400 several years ago, there was a wealth of printed white papers to 
reassure us that everything we used to do on S/36 we could also do in the new 
reality, do better, and have lots of other goodies at reasonable prices.  
Unfortunately we still have one old application on M36 & I am not making much 
progress on obtaining corporate consensus on next deployment for it.

But today the audience that such perspectives need to reach out to has 
changed.  White Papers need to be on Web Sites & AS/400 enthusiasts need to 
communicate the URLs & help get them cross linked so that they show up on 
major search engines when people are looking for solutions in which AS/400 is 
one of the answers.  Printed White Papers of the future should come with CD 
Rom of relevant URLs to illustrate all the neat features that can be done on 
an AS/400.  I am thinking of being at a browser with lists of features, link 
to explanation of each, and have bunch of links where I can see this in 
operation in the real world.

Someone needs to spend some bucks to advertise such info into major computer 
zines & whatever CEOs read these days & since IBM is unmotivated, who's left? 
 Perhaps consultants that service what is left of the AS/400 market, like 
those involved in an earlier thread about some regions of the USA hurting for 
work for qualified AS/400 folks, although the time to advertise is before 
that happens.

Here's a couple examples from the last NewsWire/400

  * D.H. Andrews Group ( http://www.dhagroup.com ) publishes "The 
AS/400 and e-Business: AS/400 Customer Plans for Deploying e-Business 
Solutions on the AS/400 and Other Servers," a report based on the 
company's 2000 AS/400 Market Research Project, conducted earlier this 
year. The report details plans for e-business deployment across a 
wide range of industries, notes a lack of e-business plans in the 
manufacturing sector, and predicts a bright future for the AS/400 in 
support of e-business activity across multiple industry sectors.

DON'T LET THE AS/400 CRITICS WIN. FIGHT BACK!! 
You know you have a good thing in the AS/400 and that it's the right 
server for your company. Wouldn't your job be easier if you had 
objective proof that other companies are sticking with the AS/400? 
NEWS/400 has it! It's in D.H. Andrews Group's new report, "Will the 
AS/400 Remain Relevant?" Based on an extensive study it offers 
detailed information about the server choices that your peers are 
making. To learn more visit http://www.as400network.com/str/pdfs/

Can anyone point me to some more of this kind of thing?

> From: franz400@triad.rr.com (Jim Franz)

>  I've had some success taking every opportunity  to promote the AS/400 
> within my customer's corps (some small, some large). When IBM makes a major
>  announcement, like silicon-on-insulator technology. V4R5, I sent e-mail to
>  every pgmr, network tech, department manager, & the CEO, with links to 
IBM's
>  site, proclaiming the advancement, and the long future for the machine. The
>  network guys were amazed. WE know the reasons fo the AS/400. THEY don't. If
>  IBM's not going to do it, we, for our own preservation we better do it.
>  Next time there is a virus sweeping the world, casually mention to everyone
>  that the AS/400 doesn't get viruses. We don't get "illegal operations". DB2
>  is built in! Raid disk drives. We get ptf's. We don't have to re-program 
for
>  new releases, and on and on. Let "end-users" know when a new release has
>  features we could use. They tell management we need it!! And I am truly
>  amazed at the vast number of programmers who never pay attention to the new
>  stuff.  

Well I am a programmer ... I am amazed at the volume of new stuff with each 
release, but my poor tired brain (I am now in my mid 50's) needs a bit more 
help to grasp the significance of each ingredient in the releases ... 
articles in trade press help but they manage to explain perhaps 5% of the new 
stuff ... let alone passing on to my non-technical co-workers what any of 
this means.

Perhaps one answer is a re-write re-release of an older White Paper, coming 
out a few months after announcement of each new OS/400 release, that puts 
these new technologies in perspective, with a handy dandy reference chart ... 
if you want this feature, you have to get that V#R#.  I would also want 
mention of stuff that is going away & our major choices for replacing it.  So 
for those of us who are pretty sure we have not grasped all that is in these 
new releases, we can subscribe to the White Papers & see the big picture.

>  Finally, in a a situation where you are proposing the 400 for a solution
>  within your company, and someone else is proposing NT/whatever, ask the
>  questions that make the other side add on to their solution to make it as
>  reliable as the 400 (if ever).
>  How will it be secured? What database will it use? How will it be backed up
>  or recovered? How scalable (watch the end user's face when the NT proponent
>  admits that a second server (or more) will have to be added when volume
>  reaches a certain point? Is it available 24x7x365? How manay people to
>  manage the system? What is the 3-5 year cost? Making someone truly justify
>  an NT brings out all those costs that make the AS/400 look better.
>  Show end users/managers/other 400 pgmrs the good AS/400 web sites. 
>  They need to see the machine can work that way.
>  </rant>
>  Jim Franz
>  
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: "Alistair Rooney" <alistairr@tbsa.co.za>
>  
>  > Nina,
>  >
>  > You've hit the nail on the head here. 
>  > It is not that the 400 *can't* do these things. 
>  > The problem is the *Perception* is that it can't do these things.

Al Macintyre  ���
http://www.cen-elec.com MIS Manager Programmer & Computer Janitor
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