re: AS/400 -- MIDRANGE-L

        There seem to be several threads going here that , in their own small
way are attempting to read the future, somehow predict the outcome of a
race, I take to be between MS and IBM.
        Also, being in what some analysts describe as an economic 'slump',
I don't think I would be wrong if I sensed some fear here.
        The future belongs to itself, and all we can do is guess at what might
unfold.
        MS and Client/server boxes and their associated technology certainly
seem at times, to be winning the race, however; it has been my
experience, that IBM usually pulls a rabbit out of a hat, and surprises
everyone.
        A great many 'ideas', are not really new, just re-engineered copies,
with fancy new names, of what is basically the same old thing.
        An old IBM box, with 30 online users, could effectively be called
client/server computing, but because it is not using the newest W2k, or
other o/s, is termed 'green screen'  and obsolete.
        As for real client/server software, that concept was lost year's ago,
and it seems to be evolving to thin client, connected to a main box.
        It's sort of akin to the 'spooling' concept and what it's original
purpose was back in the 70's.To eleiminate printing time, in the overall
cycle of throughput.Now,a great many 'reports' have been eliminated
because of advances in interactive processes, and it's generally used as
a convenient catch basin, for faxing, or e-mailing purposes.
        I thought, back in the early 90's , that the midrange boxes were in
trouble, and the AS series machines were just a stop gap.Those machines
surprised me with their speed.They were a good 10 times faster than
their 
predecessors, and gave us a welcome breather, to develop more
interactive stuff.
        The 'all in one' Iseries, is a good choice, if for nothing other than
server consolidation, and allowing problem determination to be in one
place rather than a dozen.I suspect IBM will evolve their long awaited
new chip technology here, and this machine, just may blow away any
competition.
        There is also a very healthy competition between these two giants,
and that is at the core of free enterprise.The days of IBM salespeople
driving pink cadillacs is over.
        I remember, not too many years ago, our branch offices spending an
entire Saturday doing month-end related work on a machine, now it's
simply 
a two hour process with backups.
        One thing will go the way of the dodo bird, with the advent of tcp
all the past investment in SNA,SDLC,etc...will bite the bullet, and
quickly.The days of milking things like CICS for 40 years is over.
        Go gently into that new light, and don't fret about things that 'might'
happen.

-- 
Best Regards
Ken Shields
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