RE: Spam Alert: RE: More anti-midrange propaganda

| -----Original Message-----
| [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Joe Pluta

<Leaving aside the politics, which I noticed was a hot topic on M-L a few
weeks back and is these days, in the Computer Industry and America/Western
Europe in general...>

| If you spent the same services dollars on an iSeries as you did on a
| pSeries, you'd wipe out anything in the marketplace.

I know it's poor taste to quote oneself, but I'm too tired to even finish a
couple small programs (for pay).

http://archive.midrange.com/isn-citizens/200107/msg00006.html

"I read IBM has an $87B backlog of contracts.  This sounds good,
but I can almost guarantee you that SJP would not mind reducing that to
zero, if he could, *this year*...!  (Time value of money and all that...
Would make him look like a champion with the Shareholder's too.)

The 400, in the past more than now, was designed to be extremely simple...
A lot of extra effort went into this design.  The beauty of the 38 and still
in the iSeries, was that a reasonably intelligent person could figure out
(primarily for <sic: "by"> <well-thought-out> text on error messages, in
<plain> English <meaning, not Hex codes and not a bunch-a useless unhelpful
text>, and having F1=Help) most
everything (emphasis on most) about how to operate, program, and manage a
38.  If IGS did all their work on 400s, that backlog would be reduced."

So what WOULD happen if IBM reduced an $87B backlog of contracts to zero,
and turned that into cash in a year (or two or whatever).  They would run
outta consulting work?!?!?  I don't think so!!  Your math is impeccable,
Jon, but the economics don't add up that way.


But Jon, I agree that this IS the view within a large segment of IBM and you
don't hafta go off-record to see that.  You can see how many in IBM (and ISG
in particular) are promoting the iSeries, both on the job and in the press.
Too few and far between.

And I agree 110% completely that "The iSeries is the right box for so many
people - but I fear that convincing
the market of that is beyond the resources even of IBM."  "1. There isn't
sufficient money available to overcome the iSeries 'legacy' image"
http://archive.midrange.com/isn-citizens/200112/msg00002.html



(Probably no time to follow-up on replies tomorrow.. got bills to pay...  Do
I hear applause?...;-)