Re: 64 bit Windows...

[Rob Dixon <rob.dixon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joe

The trouble is that you are preaching to the choir.  We all understand 
what 64 bits means and the benefits, but the world out there does not, 
and they won't do until MS tells them that 64 bit is what they need.  
Then there will be further press articles about how Windows 64 is the 
first mainstream 64 bit operating system.  IBM should have told the 
world about 64 bits 10 years ago, but they did not.

On the basis of Windows releases so far, we, on Midrange, may assume 
that any 64 bit Windows OS will fall over continually, and require 
continuous support.  Even if we are right, it won't matter, because a 
great many Windows users have only used PCs and their operating systems 
that fall over continually.  But they believe that that is how computing 
is.  Try and tell them that, on an iSeries, no rogue program can bring 
down the whole system, and that an iSeries is rebooted very rarely, they 
just don't believe you.  If you do manage to get their attention, and 
they find out the base price of an iSeries, and compare that with a 
cheap Wintel server, you have then lost them.  After all,  they know all 
there is to know, have lots of experience and I (and probably quite a 
few others on this list) are just old folks who are years behind the 
times.   I am talking here not just about end users, but IT staff that I 
have met who have perhaps 15 years experience.  Microsoft is the world's 
best (or only to many people?) software company.  They are very 
successful - if their products were rubbish, they would not be so 
successful, would they?

We know better, but we cannot put the world to rights, even though we 
keep on trying.  In my view, only IBM can solve the problem by starting 
to market iSeries, 64 bits, etc., to the world at large.  They would 
still believe IBM.  But IBM has never done this, and despite recent 
flurries of activity, seems unlikely to start now.  They seem more 
interested in selling services and consultancy rather than systems that 
don't need these.

Skype VOIP software is apparently being downloaded by 155,000 users a 
day - quite an extraordinary take up for a fairly new product that is 
not marketed.

Perhaps IBM could learn from this. They could produce the often 
discussed  low price iSeries in an Thinkpad case.  We know that they can 
do it. I am sure that this would sell and it would spread the word.  
Ordinary users and their IT staff would get the opportunity to use an 
iSeries - at present most never come across one.  Of course, they 
woulnd't sell Skype quantities - Skype is free, but I am sure that the 
numbers would be significant.

So, rather than spending time debating, shouldn't we be trying to kick 
IBM?  Trouble is how do we do it?

Rob