Re: AS/400 heritage

I have to agree with L.  Although I like to hear about 38/400/iSeries 
success stories myself, I'm not the one who NEEDS to hear about them.  There 
are two types of people in the world -- the ones who think (know) that the 
38/400/iSeries was, is, and probably will be the greatest business computer 
ever made, and those who don't have a clue.  It WOULD be a waste of time, 
paper and ink to put these kinds of stories together and send them to we, 
the ones who are desperately trying to stay alive using the platform we love 
so much.

If you are going to take the time, spend the money and make the effort, why 
not listen to the industry's most loyal business partners and customers, and 
use this effort to do something that might increase market share and extend 
the life of the machine we love.  What you NEED to do is find a way to 
capture the PASSION of those on this list and sell THAT to the unknowing 
masses!  I have been convinced since 1978 on a SYS/38 model 4, that there's 
nothing better, and most of the people who have had experience with the 
machine would agree.  Find 38/400/iSeries success stories and the people 
involved, bottle the passion, and paint the world with it.  There are a lot 
of us who could use more opportunities for conversion/consulting work with 
NEW customers. (Read that as all those companies who desperately NEED an 
AS/400 or iSeries, but don't know why.)

PS  It sure would be nice if we didn't have to say 38/400/iSeries to talk 
about the life of a platform.  Although I understand the "marketing" reasons 
for changing the name to create the impression of something new and 
different - it would also be nice to be able to say that over the last 25 
years all these other machines have gone away, but the IBM SYS/38 has 
endured, grown and evolved into one of the most powerful, most versitile and 
most popular machines in the world, running small businesses to many of the 
largest corporations in the world, and having the most loyal user base ever. 
  What would that do for marketing???

JMHO

Jim Whalen
DCS Software and Services

----Original Message Follows----
From: "L. S. Russell" <leslier@datrek.com>
Reply-To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Re: AS/400 heritage
Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 12:58:47 +0000

This grouch courtesy of IBM's frequent half-assed attempts at marketing
the iSeries.

You would think it is a good idea, you are drinking the same water eLou
is.  What would be the point of iSeries running a series like I
suggest?  It would have no value if, AS WITH ALL OTHER IBM MARKETING OF
THE ISERIES, it was targeted at and only sent to the current customer
base.  Here's another idea, which I am sure some IBM'er will shoot down,
let me donate my subscriptions (I get two issues of iSeries mag each
month) to someone else!  IBM sends me, someone who is already convinced
the iSeries is the greatest box ever built, this magazine 12 times a
year.  Sure it has a little worthwhile info, but it ain't like I
couldn't get it in 50 other places (we are using the most valuable of
them right now).  So scale down iSeries mag, put case studies, white
papers, pricing info, side-by-side comparisons of the iSeries against
other platforms.  Then take this and send it out to people who either
don't know anything about the iSeries or who are sitting on the fence.

I am not suggesting complaining to IBM Jon, I am suggesting effectively
marketing the iSeries to a broader target.  What's wrong with that?
Well let me tell you what is wrong with that.  If IBM did effectively
market the iSeries, the rest of the eServer line would sell like Ketchup
Popcicles.

And no there are no where near enough place to complain to IBM about the
bang-up job they are doing killing the AS/400.

Jon.Paris@hal.it wrote:
 >
 >  >> What a waste of ink!
 >
 > Boy what a grouch!
 >
 > I thought it was quite a nice idea.  Besides - what would be the point of
 > the Mag running your suggestion?  Aren't there enough places for people 
to
 > complain to IBM about this?  Since complaining about it has proven mostly
 > ineffective I fail to see what purpose could be served.
 >
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