Re: Thats all folks! -- MIDRANGE-L

Joe - I agree with you on practically everything that you have said.

It is obvious to me that some of the postings come from people don't have
the same bias that _we_ have toward the iSeries, and _never_ will.  I think
it is pointless to continue arguing the merits of the iSeries platform
versus the others.

_We_ know that the iSeries is the best business computer ever built.  I
don't care what the detractors say.  It's certainly _not_ the cheapest
business computer ever built, but it has survived now for almost 23 years
(in one form or another, including the S/38), built on an operating system
concept that was just a gleam in someone's eye in 1969.

It has also lived up to the principle that IBM set forth when they brought
out the System/38...To paraphrase: "To preserve the customer's investment
made in software".  There is not a single computer system _ever_ built that
has made this guarantee.  Not one.  We all keep running our old junky &
obsolete legacy code, but you know what?  It still works.  I don't (or
according to IBM's principle) have to re-compile everything _every_ time I
go to a new release.  Try this with a mainframe OS conversion or a Windows
application conversion.

Of course, software vendors can cause a hitch in performing upgrades by
providing unobservable code, which requires that you have source or get new
objects from the vendor.  There have been a few glitches here and there, but
for most of us a release upgrade is usually no more than a couple of weeks
of planning and a weekend of dedicated system time carrying out the upgrade.

Also, the recoverability of the AS/400 system from complete system failure
(when there is one!) is second to none.  Set the IPL source to 'D', IPL from
tape, and ...

Try that with a Windows NT or 2000 server system.  NOT!!!  Most Windows
system administrators get out the CD's and load everything again from
scratch, then restore their data directories from backup tape.

Also, IIRC, didn't IBM invent or participate in the invention of RAID?  I be
lieve that in the beginning the acronym meant "Redundant Array of
Independent Disks".  Now it means "Redundant Array of Inexpensive
Disks"...(that certainly didn't come from IBM...)

IBM has a bunch of idiots running the marketing department.  They are more
of a consulting company than a hardware company now...why do you think they
are pushing everyone toward WebSphere?  $$$$ in consulting revenue for IBM
Global Services (or whatever the hell the consulting division is called).

As far as I'm concerned, the iSeries division would be better off if it were
separated from IBM and run as an independent company.  It would probably be
far more successful as a platform this way.  The powers that be at IBM have
held the midrange platform under their thumb ever since the S/38 was
announced, for one reason or another.  In the beginning they were deathly
afraid that the S/38 would take market share away from the big iron...

We should be picking on IBM, not the iSeries...

I guess what I am trying to say is...chill out!  Don't let these guys get
under your skin.  It's just going to raise your BP & shorten your life.

JMO
Steve Landess
Austin, Texas
(512) 423-0935


----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Pluta" <joepluta@PlutaBrothers.com>
To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 2:33 PM
Subject: RE: Thats all folks!


> > From: James Rich
> >
> > But data loss absolutely never happens.  Unscheduled
> > downtime (excepting power outages that take out both machines) does not
> > happen.
>
> Both happen on Linux machines.  On Unix machines I have seen various
> databases (in order, Informix, Sybase and least frequently Oracle) go
> casters up and require lengthy rebuilds.  I think it depends to a large
> extent on system load, and (one would hope) it happens less frequently
now.
>
>
> > > But Scott, the AS/400 has had the most radical series of changes of
any
> > > platform in the last year, five years, 10 years, whatever
> > period you want.
>
> > ILE is very similar to the language bindings available on other
platforms.
>
> (...)
>
> I knew this was going to go this route.  I talked about rate of change -
> while other platforms had these things, the AS/400 didn't.  I thought that
> was pretty clear.  But I knew someone was going to jump in and miss the
> point and state the obvious - that other platforms already have these
> things.
>
> I honestly don't know how to write any clearer, but I will try to restate
my
> point, focusing on the real issue: the rate of change on the AS/400 has
been
> far higher than any other platform the last (N) years.  What this has done
> is open the platform to all the things that everybody complains the AS/400
> is lacking, while keeping legacy investment intact.  No other platform has
> managed that.
>
>
> > If these unique components fit your needs (which they do for many)
> > then it is a better machine than the others.
>
> It's uniquenesses are what make it best suited for business applications.
> The new features make it work and play better in the open network, that's
> all.
>
>
> > That it can run 10 year old code is great and helps my shop which has
code
> > older than that, I suspect that it really isn't much of a selling point
> > (though I'm not a salesman, so it may be).  I just don't know about the
> > impact of the statement, "Hey, you can run 10 year old programs on this
> > baby!"
>
> Then you don't have many clients.  There are a ton of people out there
with
> systems that run just fine, thank you, and they don't need to rewrite them
> every two years because the vendor has once again changed their direction.
>
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