Re: AS/400 heritage and iSeries Nation Emergence -- MIDRANGE-L

Don,

You are right on the mark!  Very well put.

Regards,

Mike Shaw

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don" <dr2@cssas400.com>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2001 6:14 AM
Subject: RE: AS/400 heritage and iSeries Nation Emergence


>
>
> JT, et al...
>
> For starters, the folks on the editorial staff of iSeries have done one
> helluva job of turning the old rah-rah rag poor excuse for a marketing
> press release magazine of 4 or so years ago into a rather decent little
> tech journal with some nice and useful tech and management stuff in it.  I
> know that they've still got some of the old stigma from before they took
> over, but guys they've make some really decent changes.  I think you
> should give them credit...and as ANY of them will tell you, I was one of
> their largest critics back then and "back then" I flat out refused to
> waste my time reading the pub.  Today I see good reason to read through
> the pub...and it's not just because I write a one pager for them.
>
> Things have changed ALOT.  And they continue to.  And it's now a
> publication that has earned respectability for the calibre of its contents
> and editorial and techincal staff.  Frankly, Rock, Hoover and Tardy
> deserve a "atta boy" for thier turnaround!
>
> Now, guys, I fully understand the frustrations your feeling with the
> half backed cookie chef wannabe thats in Armonk.  If you want to get
> pissed with his lack luster performance, fine!  But do it where it will do
> some good.  Target Lou directly!
>
> Personally, EACH AND EVERY article you read that has Gerstner in it, you
> should be calling that author up and blasting them for not asking him why
> he's being such a dork on iSeries marketing.  Why is he letting iSeries
> sales plummet due to lack of proper market present of proper perception?!
>
> I'm not talking just Computerworld, I'm talking Wall Street Journal, IBD,
> Business Week, Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes.  Lou ONLY answers to dollars
> and you'd be surprised how these folks can wing sentiment.
>
> Then call you broker up, ask them who the analyst is that covers IBM.
> Then call THEM and blast THEM for not holding Lou's feet to the fire and
> letting iSeries sales drop from no advertising/marketing.   That you think
> their estimate of the price of the stock is wrong and they're not taking
> this into account....  Once the market starts to reflect things like last
> quarters drop in iSeries sales, some idiots in Armonk will put their
> crumpets down and take notice!
>
> Then go do the same thing for CNBC, CNNFC, etc....
>
> Folks, the new jobless rate just came out this morning and it's well into
> what's considered recessionary territory.  This hurts.  And not having a
> product to work on that people know about sucks even more!  Imagine having
> to go job hunting and nobody knows the system that you've got 15 years
> experience on!?  THAT you need to blame Gerstner for, not the editorial
> staff of a tech magazine!
>
> IBM'ers, you NEED to stop positioning the iSeries as just another NT or
> eunochs server in the eyes of the public.  To have a major manager get up
> on in effect equate it to the heap of generic clone NT or eunochs boxes
> did you a major disservice.  You NEED to stop  playing all those
> propaganda advertizements for us at COMMON and play them on the Super Bowl
> instead.  Frankly, I don't want to see any more of them at this Common.
> I'm damn tired of IBM only wanting to preach to the choir, but that
> appears to be the only target market Lou will let them preach to.
>
> Ever wonder how much Microsoft Stock Gerstner might own?
>
> You're going to hopefully see more of this on a web page coming to a
> browser near you soon...along with names and phone numbers to call.  I
> just hope you have the balls to match your mouths and fingers when it
> comes to taking REAL action.
>
> Until then, get ready for the REAL emergence of The iSeries Nation....:)
>
> Don in DC....
>
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