RE: iNation website 2001-06-20 and two other brief comments

I actually wrote this Thurday morning, but had decided not to send it
because it was just saying the same things, pretty much the same way, as the
original post.  But, if nothing else, I found the articles on M$ were
interesting; maybe others would too.



===========================

This is a follow-up to the previous post.  If you found that one
disagreeable, this probably won't be much better.  This is intended to be a
clarification of those ideas, really saying the same things in stronger
language.

Also, it may be easy to write all this off as me "defending" IBM.  It's not
quite that way.  Just as I'm not "defending" the iSeries Community when I
write IBM.  I'm just trying to interest and inform people on the issue of
the iNation.  That's all...

===========================

After I sent in the previous post on the iNation, I received one response,
by private e-mail, from someone whose views I respect very highly.  They
said in part "To my mind, the post says absolutely nothing.  It will be
interesting to see if you get any responses to it."

Now, I worked that thing over for quite a few hours, so I'll admit it's
disappointing I may have missed my mark _that badly_.  I'm just going to see
what I can throw down, in a hurry, to try to put some meaning to the last
post.  Less esoteric, but a little more in-your-face.

I was once told, by an IBM SE as a matter of fact, that to make a good
presentation you need to:  1) tell your audience what you're going to tell
them; 2) speak your piece; 3) and then tell them what you told them.  He
wasn't trying to be insulting about the audience, but just saying that this
is the way to make a point.

Unfortunately, I left the last part off, on purpose.  I  was hoping to avoid
even the appearance that I'm trying to FORCE my opinions on anybody, and
also to keep it brief.  Left it with a weak ending though.  Now I intend to
put together a hard-hitting conclusion.

---------------

I've had some correspondence with Mr. Zeitler, who heads the Server Group.
I'M NOT CLAIMING that I know much of anything about IBM, or their intents
about anything, including the iNation.  But I've analyzed the situation, and
as best I can tell:

*** IBM appears to be *** TRYING *** to fill the needs of the iSeries
Community by creating the iSeries Nation. ***

I don't have the time to argue the point.  There is always the possibility
that the iNation will just be a marketing gimmick.  All I'm saying is that
it isn't one yet!  That's all... but that's important!  THAT'S HUGE ! !

Just one point in defense of my point of view:  IIRC, in Mr. Haines'
announcement at COMMON, he said there will be benefits to the Citizens, he
named a few, then he said (something close to) "and other benefits that will
be produced by Citizens of the iNation themselves".  Something like that.
That implies nothing short of the statement that the iSeries Nation will
have a GNP that it produces itself, and IBM will help ! !

Will IBM deliver on that ??

I think the more pertinent question is will the iCitizens ?!?

If IBM _is_ trying to find out what the iCitizens want, and incorporate it
into the iNation, that would explain why they are so deliberate in their
progress.  WHO _COULD_ FIGURE THAT ONE OUT ? ?

From what I've seen so far here, and on IGNITe, it's clear as mud.  Little
is constructive.

Plus, the iCitizens don't speak with one voice; it's more like the Tower of
Babel.  And if you add in the comments from all the forums and listservs I
don't get around to visiting...  Well, it gets worse, not better.  Whether
I'm right or wrong about this point, the fact remains that it would be tough
for IBM to know what the iSeries Community wants.  It just ain't that easy
as what it sounds.

Now I'll allow you could take that as me "defending" IBM.  I don't think so.
But whether I am, or whether I'm not, THIS IS WHAT MATTERS:  Do these last
couple paragraphs accurately describe the iSeries Community ? ?  And can
that be changed?


Now if you re-read things IBM and the iCitizens have said about the iNation,
and you start from the point of view that a) IBM is TRYING and b) the
Citizens MIGHT PRODUCE BENEFITS THEMSELVES, you're not necessarily going to
agree with me on all this.

But you'll surely get a different slant on things.

For one thing, you will immediately re-consider the notion that the plan for
the iNation has already been created, it's layed out in detail, and there's
nothing you can do about it ! !  I think you'll see that there's nothing
further from the truth !

It's not my job to suggest anyone do anything...  But I am suggesting if you
re-read these things, starting from this point of view, you'll probably
reach the same conclusion I have.  Myabe not.

---------------

The same person said in that e-mail "Sometimes, one has to be cruel to be
kind."

Take the following however you want.

There are some people, in the forums I've seen, who are doing a lot of loud
talking about something they know nothing about.  I could be hosed, because
I'm no expert on collaborating with people.  (Those who've worked with me
know that...)  But my understanding is that the whole world is moving
towards this direction, on a number of fronts, and the iNation is just a
fair bit ahead of the curve on this.  (Sure...  It's probably bleeding edge
right now...)

Here's two links that illustrate both of these points: that the world is
moving towards collaboration, and that IBM is ahead of the curve, just like
they were on this Internet thing back in '95:
http://www.microsoft.com/net/shared_dev.asp
http://www.devx.com/free/hotlinks/2001/ednote062001.asp

When I talk about the potential of the iSeries Nation, it's because I think
it has potential comparable to this; actually far beyond this.  But because
I do, I see these articles as showing how stiff the competition is ! !  I
just read them once, quickly, but the number 5 million jumped out at me.

If you don't understand that Hailstorm and FSF=OSI has a direct impact on
the iSeries and the iNation...  Well I would think that, before you tell
everyone that IBM is hosed about the iNation, you'd consider this:  *** IBM
doesn't have the option to ignore these kinds of things, like you do. ***

If you do understand that these things impact the iNation, then I'd think
you'd agree that M$ is heading down the wrong path, and furthermore, that
the iNation can take the idea of the SDP and improve on it.  This could be
one of the benefits of the iNation.  This could be a huge chunk of it's GNP.
IBM included the BPs and ISVs in as iCitizens.  That is an EXTREMELY BOLD
MOVE.  But they can't make something that surpasses Hailstorm, not by
themselves.

Now I just scanned over these two pieces, but I've long been under the
impression that M$ doesn't understand how collaboration provides benefits
that partnering doesn't.  There's a subtle difference in that collaboration
is based on:

Knowing that whatever group you're in, it **cannot** do it alone
Perceiving collaboration is **based on LISTENING**
Understanding that growth comes when one group says "you're right!" (and
sometimes say "we were wrong").

IMHO, M$ is not capable of this, the FSF=OSI folks are CLUELESS and possibly
DANGEROUS, and the iNation has the potential.  And IMHO, that potential is
MAINLY in the hands of it's Citizens, not IBM.

No offense to IBM, but the facts are the facts:  They are a huge
bureaucracy, and at the same time, very tiny compared to the potential size
of a group like the iNation.  Ironically IBM understands this point, or at
least Mr. Haines seems to, a whole lot better than the iSeries Community.

---------------

Finally (do I hear applause? ROFL) if I'm going to wrap this up, I can't get
into a long explanation of the last point of the previous post.  From the
one reply I got privately:

"I did look at the John Myers post to which you referred and had read it
previously.

Your post to midrange suggests, as far as I can tell, that the iSeries
Nation site is more than a marketing exercise preaching to the converted.
But if so you give no evidence for this view.  I don't think that there is
any.and clearly John doesn't either."

I read all of John's posts and my take is different.  The important point
(in addition to John's quote) which I failed to make, is that *** John put
his money where his mouth was. ***  HE TRYS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE
SITUATION. ***  No denying that.  My friend and I will have to agree to
disagree on this one.  (Which is OK!)

Here's my point: http://www.as400network.com/channel/story.cfm?ID=7811

BTW, it's item number 5, not item number 1.  Even though I've never met or
corresponded with him, I think John goes by item number 5, as I do.  I read
item number 5, and decided to take Mr. Zwiren's suggestion.  Since you don't
know me, you can't know how unusual that was for me.  But I decided to try
to put Mr. Zwiren's words into constructive action.  Never wrote a word in
my life, before that.  That article prompted me to start writing to forums
and listservs, instead of just reading them as I had been.

---------------

I'm going to take a few days where I don't touch a computer, and after
that...  Who knows?

I hope nobody's going to discourage me from writing my opinions, but I'm not
looking for any encouraging words either.  If you don't have anything
constructive, I'd just soon you kept it to yourself.  If you have
encouraging words, thanks.  BUT ACTIONS SPEAK etc, etc.

I respect the author of the e-mail that I referred to throughout.  (He knows
who he is.)  In fact, I told him once that he's a giant among kings.  So
I'll allow he might be right that nobody'd be interested in responding to
any of this.  I hate to get in his face, and point out that he responded, so
he disproved his own argument...;-)

No matter.  *** I wrote these things primarily for my own benefit *** so I
don't need any responses to make me feel it was worth it.  I wrote these
things as an exercise in reacting, like Mr. Zwiren suggested.  So it just
follows that, if there were any responses, I would prefer to see them in the
form of constructive actions, just as I think Mr. Zwiren would.

Thanks.

jt

+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---