RE: Iseries Education and marketing

midrange-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

<snip...a bunch about graying and the current whereabouts of DOS programmers, 
etc.>

Back in the early/mid '80s, I made a living working with numerous small 
businesses in the Seattle/Portland area. The primary scenario could be summed 
up something like "The owner's nephew had a Trash-80 and learned Basic. We had 
him set up all of this." I'd become involved a year or more later after the 
nephew moved away and the 'business system' had a serious problem. Some 
businesses were on the brink and had no idea.

There was a surge back then that caught a bunch of experienced staff 
programmers by surprise. The economy swings in the '70s and later caused 
various realignments, relocations and just plain turmoil. The rapid spread of 
PCs showed up in the middle of everything else.

But there was also a pendulum swing in the other direction afterwards.

One big project around 1988-91 involved consolidating the dozens of PC 
databases that had collected in PCs around the organization but were important 
in the day-to-day work, yet were essentially unknown as information assets that 
needed attention. Such a project is what starts the graying regardless of age.

I won't be surprised if another swing happens in a few years. Having solid 
business application experience is valuable regardless of where technology 
goes. The iSeries can provide a foundation for moving in more directions than 
just searching for RPG V.

Tom Liotta