Re: Fast400 Value to iSeries community is less than zero -- MIDRANGE-L

> So I think it is less useful to discuss whether IBM is screwing
the iSeries
> Community, and more useful to discuss what the iSeries Community
can do
> about it.  I've already stated my opinions on this subject.  I
don't want to
> blow your question off, Chris, about what the iNation could do
to help the
> situation..  But it takes a lot of time to explain my views.

What about the migration utilities to NT? I'm thinking of baby/400
(or maybe I'm confusing that with something else) that lets you
runn applications on NT or Unix. Anybody have experience with
these things?

> In a nutshell, the iNation has the POTENTIAL to be a direct link
between IBM
> and the iSeries market.


Sorry I came in late. What is INation? (Yes I own 400s - three or
four of them for development, and Rs/600s , and unix, and NT)

Hey I got a letter from an IBM sales rep this year - first
personal contact from IBM since we bought an AS/400 12 years ago!
He didnt call or come by, of course. We got to be a business
partner for a couple of years, but then since we only had our
software running on 500 AS/400s (at the time, twice that now) they
took away our business partner statis because we didn't do what
they really wanted - sell new boxes. We just made software that
encouraged people to stay int he AS/400 market.

I have come to the conclusion that IBM is run by a bunch of
squirrels, and I dare anyone to disprove my thesis. That doesn't
mean it is staffed by squirrels - the people there are top notch.
Fortunately there is enough of a disconnect between the sales
force and partners vs. the upper management, that they stay in
business. They've got great products.

>  If you look at these lists, you see all the
> contradictory views that are expressed about what IBM should
do...  Should
> OS/4i be put on Wintel...?  Should IBM develop the low-end more
> aggressively...?  Should IBM put a lot more resources into
support...?
> Should IBM lower prices...?  Should IBM make the iSeries more
> industry-standard...?  Should IBM concentrate on it's
proprietary strengths
> (DDS and RPG)...?  Should IBM spin off the iSeries as it's own
company...?
> Would the iSeries survive, if IBM did...?  I haven't seen clear
answers to
> these multitude of questions.  And thay don't even begin to
scratch the
> surface...

 How about an Iseries that was just an Integrated X server - IBM
reliability on a NT platofrrom.

(go ahead, laugh.)

> IBM is asking the Community for it's views...  Make no mistake
about that.
> The Consult-L thread this week was an opportunity missed.  There
were some
> great thoughts, but it broke down into a p*ssing-contest and the
thread was
> short-lived.  A gentleman from iSeries University requested
comments early
> this year, over on IGNITe.  Maybe he got some useful comments
off-list, but
> what I saw posted was less than useful.  In fact, it was quite
> contradictory.

That can still be valuable. A non-monolithic response is called
for. That is information in itself.

> The iNation would be quite useful if there were two things:  1)
Some
> filtering mechanism so the best ideas rise to the top.  2)
Follow-up on
> results, and adjustments made.  These are two relatively simple
problems.
> Or rather, these are problems that everyone connected with the
iSeries deals
> with each day at work.