Re: midrange modernization tour question -- MIDRANGE-L

It is sad really, Joe. Your anti-Microsoft bias is strong, but does notprove I have an anti-iSeries bias. Twisting my words and interpreting themin other ways does not make me anti-iSeries, either. Attempting to insertyour anti-Microsoft bias in a thread about a seminar tour is also misguided.

Your obvious ignorance of what is happening with the MMT is apparent. Thattoo, is sad, since it sometimes appears you are someone who is in favor ofeducation and knowledge. Why you are so hard aligned against this tour, I amnot sure. It is not a Microsoft tour, or ~my~ tour.. it is an iSeriesNetwork tour. If you had attended, you would know what is being offered, andwhat information is being supplied. There is just as much J2EE "education"as there is .Net "education". Providing reasons for being against somethingwhen you are uneducated about it is like claiming Harry Potter is the devilwithout reading the book.

Like you, I am not in favor of migration ~from~ the iSeries. I find that alot of customers work with both Windows servers and iSeries servers. I finda lot of customers have RPG/COBOL skills, J2EE skills and .Net skills. Theywant to know how best to integrate their applications and servers in thebest manner while maintaining their iSeries. Seminars like the MMT are keyevents where iSeries customers can find that information. Sure, it does notinclude every solution, but as an informative and educational session, itmeets the needs of the customers and answers many of their questions.

Just recently, I configured an i5 to run ~no~ i5/OS applications. It willact as a SAN for several IXS and IXA connected xSeries servers. We are usingthe power, flexibility and scalability of the i5 to run a bank of Windowsservers and Linux partitions. This includes Microsoft in our iSeries worldand is important to the iSeries future. If you continue to deny the realityof this, you will soon become the Luddite you claim you are not.

The iSeries is fortunate to have bigots like yourself. However, the platformwill only continue to grow and realize its potential as the best server onthe planet if we embrace the technologies that customers are using andprovide integration and modernization capabilities. It would seem that ifyou were to understand what is capable of the (non-migration) technologiesbeing offered by MAP partners, you would be a great resource to yourcustomers to allow them to move into an SOA world, rather than remainlimited by a narrow anti-something focus.


Your fellow iSeries bigot,
Trevor

----- Original Message -----Subject: RE: midrange modernization tour question

I'll only bother with this once.  Afterwards, it's just giving you mind
space, Trevor, and since that's really just giving Bill mind space, it's
anti-iSeries.

From: Trevor Perry

Joe, your biases are truly showing, but your reply has nothing to do

with

the Midrange Modernization Tour.


No part of what I said was incorrect: Microsoft wishes to see the
iSeries dead.  And the MMT is actively sponsored by Microsoft.  This is
pretty simple stuff.

Whatever your opinion, J2EE and .Net are both here to stay.


I never said otherwise.  Personally, I think .NET is an interesting UI
alternative.  It is far inferior to the iSeries as a server platform.
Few if any of your partners will say that, though.  Not Fujitsu, or
ASNA, or Sonata, or HiT Software, or Iteration2, and certainly not
Microsoft.

I think the MMT
is a good place to get information to understand what choices we have

with

our iSeries to leverage that new world.


I find the MMT to be an unlikely place to find unbiased J2EE
information, or indeed unbiased information of any kind.

If you truly believe there is a push to move us away from the

platform,

why would you not educate yourself on how the MAP partners can fit
INTO our iSeries world?


As I told Walden when we spoke, as long as ASNA Monarch (or any other
migration tool) is part of the MAP, I am entirely opposed to the
organization.  That's about as clear as I can make it.

We have the best server on the planet, why are we not happy
that it can integrate with all the tools in our toolbox?


I'm thrilled, and I think IBM has already made it clear that it embraces
openness.  I only wish Microsoft shared that, perhaps by creating DRDA
or native OS/400 interfaces to its products.

And, if you
understand how the MAP partners tools fit into our world, then we have

chance to grow this platform.


An organization that embraces migration tools and vendors has nothing to
do with growing the platform.

Hiding behind the Java wall throwing insults will not prevent the

world

from changing.


"Hiding behind the Java wall throwing insults"?  Ah, here's where the
bias lies.  I hope everybody takes a clear note of this statement.

Note that it implies a number of things.  First off, it implies that I
have somehow been insulting.  Other than my crack about pigs flying,
nothing I said was remotely insulting.  It was just facts.  THIS
posting, on the other hand, is a bit more caustic, primarily because
Trevor is being obtuse and obfuscatory, and I hate that.

Second, note that Trevor has conveniently avoided actually addressing a
single fact from my previous message.  No, he talks about being "happy"
and how I need to "educate myself".  Standard doublespeak.  Ignore the
issues, pander platitudes, cast aspersions.

The "educate myself" bit goes along with "will not prevent the world
from changing".  Did you catch that?  He's actually calling me a
technical Luddite! <laughing>  I.E., if you don't get on the Microsoft
bandwagon, you're old technology!  Like, oh... RPG!  Or the iSeries!
Yes indeed, Trevor old bean, you're definitely showing your stripes.

Finally, it's clear that Java has no place in this environment.  Anybody
who likes J2EE or WebSphere is "hiding behind the Java wall", whereas
those who embrace .NET are "changing the world".


Don't be fooled folks.  This is not about peaceful coexistence.  This is
about surrounding the iSeries with a bunch of .NET, and turning it into
a SQL engine.  Business logic will be migrated off, and once that's
done, there's no reason to keep the box (or those pesky RPG
programmers).

And if they try to sell you the RPG .NET snake oil, please be sure to
ask them why anybody with more than three brain cells would want to run
RPG on anything other than the iSeries.  That's sure to get you some
chuckles, starting with the standard "platform independence" malarky.


Back to bed.  The baby is quiet, and so is the house.  And so is my
conscience.  I keep thinking about that wonderful line from Lynyrd
Skynyrd: "Watergate does not bother me.  Does your conscience bother
you?  Tell me true!"

Replace "Watergate" with "Microsoft", and you have my opinion on the
whole thing down to a tee.  Microsoft doesn't bother me, because I don't
have to justify it!


Joe