Re: Check this out. iSeries Access for Linux!!

[James Rich <james@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Buck wrote:
> > I just heard about this from a co-worker of mine. There is a beta 5250
> > client for Linux. I had a look at it, and it is pretty fast. It will not
> > work on OS X however :-(. There Ops Nav isn't there, just the 5250 so far.
> >
> > http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/access/linux/
>
>
> There's a production version of a 5250 emulator AND it has printing support
> too!  Its mailing list is hosted right here at Midrange dot com.  Look at
> the tn5250 project.  I've been running the Windows version for a couple of
> years now.  http://tn5250.sourceforge.net/

And since it is licensed under the GNU GPL it protects your rights as 
well.  Specifically:

1.  you have the right to use the software for any purpose
2.  you have the right to modify the software
3.  these rights cannot be revoked

There are others as well, but those (to me) are the most important.  It 
is great to have a 5250 emulator from IBM because it enriches the user 
experience by increasing choices.  But where there is a GPL'ed product 
that does the same thing as a non-GPL'ed product, I choose to use the 
GPL'ed one.

But I do think that we should try out the IBM emulator if for no other 
reason than to compare it with our tn5250.  If we can learn something 
and make ours better then that is good.  I kind of wish IBM had used our 
tn5250 and improved it instead of making access for linux.  But again, 
competition is good.  Too bad the IBM emulator is only available as an rpm.

James Rich