Re: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch

["Trevor Perry" <tperry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

And just as you think the name is not important, I don't believe having a 
native GUI is key to our future. There are lots of native GUIs - just as 
Linux has KDE or Gnome for their desktop, i5/OS has many native IBM and 
third party choices for GUI. You just have to use the right one in the right 
manner.

Besides, there are very few System i developers who can even configure their 
iSeries Access windows to show any design sense - how would a GUI help them?

Get a Designer, get a decent GUI tool, and take GUI out of the equation. 
This is already more than possible...


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "M. Lazarus" <mlazarus@xxxxxxxx>
To: "Midrange Systems Technical Discussion" <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2006 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch


> Trevor,
>
>  We've heard the "name game" refrain for a while, but IMHO, that's
> missing the mark by a long shot.  That's like saying that the entire
> Ferrari line won't sell if I paint some pink.  As "modern" as this
> platform is, there are some gaping holes that only IBM can fix, but
> they choose not to.  I'll throw out a few, others can chime in with
> additional items and details.
>
> 1) IBM seems to be embarrassed by the box.  Put a pSeries up against
> an iSeries in a potential sale and chances are the pSeries will win,
> if there's an IBM sales rep involved.  They don't market it
> properly.  All of us in the field recognize that.  Since I don't
> believe that the parade of IBM'ers over the years in charge of
> marketing the box are stupid, the only conclusion I can come to is
> that it's deliberately being sabotaged.  I don't know why, but I'm
> not privy to those meetings.
>
> 2) A native GUI is mandatory.  I don't want to hear about HATS,
> Websphere or other screen scraper technology.  A simple DDS interface
> will make it accessible to the masses.  This needs to be part of the
> OS, right out of the box, w/ no additional configuration required.
>
> 3) Printing and viewing popular PC images are a royal pain, without
> conversions or add-ons.  Could you imagine if Microsoft charged extra
> to print standard graphics files?
>
> 4) Pricing.  Take a page out of Microsoft's marketing
> machine.  Purchasing this machine should be a slam dunk for any IT
> manager.  IBM loves to throw out the 3-5 year ROI calculation when
> trying to make a sale.  I say - keep that value and introduce a new
> concept:  Being competitive with a PC server solution -
> NOW!  Corporate wants to hear that we can budget and afford this
> solution - NOW!  Shareholders want to hear that we saved money THIS
> year, not in 3 - 5 years.
> -----------
>
>  The many name changes are just adding insult to injury.  But since
> they're not marketing it properly, positive brand recognition is not
> there anyway.
>
>
>
>  -mark
>
>
> At 12/7/06 11:59 PM, you wrote:
> > Way too long to read for the lack of any solution. It starts with a call 
> > to
> > fight, carries on with a call to fight for an OUTDATED server (AS/400) and
> > ends with suggestions for IBM to do something. That does not fly any 
> > more -
> > we have to get off OUR collective behinds and DO something. IBM needs OUR
> > help to keep this platform in OUR world.
> >
> > You can't fight a fight for a system that is no longer available for
> > purchase - that is, an AS/400. While we keep on calling our platform an
> > AS/400, and still call ourselves AS/400 developers/programmers/people, we
> > will remain stuck in the past and die the betamax death. We can write all 
> > we
> > want about what IBM should do, but writing does nothing if you are still
> > writing about AS/400. And this article switches between AS/400 and System 
> > i
> > like they are the same thing. If I.T. collectively thinks AS/400 is
> > outdated, then painting System i with the outdated "AS/400" brush is the
> > first thing to STOP DOING.
> >
> > We work on System i - this is the family of servers which WERE AS/400
> > servers, THEN iSeries servers, but are now System i5. You do not buy a new
> > AS/400 from IBM - you buy a System i5 server. This is THE most modern
> > platform on the planet, and if we just moved into the 21st century, we 
> > would
> > not have to be "fighting the AS/400 fight".
> >
> > Fight the System i fight.
> > AS/400 is our past, not our present.
> > AS/400 is our heritage, not our future.
> > AS/400 is dead. Long live the System i.
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Neil Palmer" <neilpalmer400mr@xxxxxxxx>
> > To: "Midrange Systems Technical Discussion" <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 10:27 PM
> > Subject: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch
> >
> >
> > > Well worth a read:
> > >
> > > Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch
> > >
> > > http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh120406-story03.html
> > >
> > > Neil Palmer, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
>
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