Of course as a businessperson I wouldn't continue to purchase used
AS/400 boxes or sell them to customers as a business partner unless
there was a reason to stay on an old box such as license gouging from a
software vendor or god forbid a vendor going out of business. Especially
with the new 515 and 525 models available. Which we actually call a 515
and 525 instead of System I 515 or 525 running i5/OS formerly known as
OS/400 :-)
However if I do happen to develop applications on an AS/400 (270 in our
case), they will still run on OS/400 and i5/OS, so I guess I am still
investing in both AS/400, OS/400 and i5/OS since the apps will run on
all the aforementioned systems including iSeries, i5 and System I.
There are lots of developers out there also still developing
applications on AS/400 systems that will run on OS/400 and i5/OS, so I
guess they are doing the same. Investing in all of the above.
When it comes to Java, i5/OS actually loses some of its edge because the
Java Virtual Machine is relatively platform agnostic and not specific to
the System I or OS/400-i5/OS. We also take advantage of OS/400 - i5/OS
programming such as RPG and CL in conjunction with Java and i5/OS so I
look at it like we're actually enhancing the value of OS/400 - i5/OS by
extending it with custom Java commands that can be incorporated into
standard OS/400-i5/OS RPG and CL applications.
I understand your thoughts on the whole i5/OS naming thing, but it's
more of a semantic thing than anything that's really compelling in the
marketplace. As a software vendor it bugs us to have to update our
advertising and other literature every year or so to keep up with the
IBM naming people who keep coming up with innovative names. We support
AS/400, iSeries, i5 and System I :-)
I guess if we just say we support i5/OS formerly related to AS/400,
iSeries, i5 and System I the world will be a better place. But we don't
plan to update our literature to that effect.
Hopefully I got a little closer to answering your pointed question, but
I was chuckling a little while writing my response, so if I only amuse
me than I've succeeded for the day.
Time to go have some beers. It's New Years Eve. Cheers !!
Regards,
Richard Schoen
RJS Software Systems Inc.
"Get the information you need. Now!"
Email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web Site:
http://www.rjssoftware.com
Tel: (952) 898-3038
Fax: (952) 898-1781
Toll Free: (888) RJSSOFT
------------------------------
message: 7
date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:47:19 -0500
from: Trevor Perry <trevor@xxxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: Happy i5/OS 2008?
Richard,
Thanks for the answers.. However, I was very pointed in this question...
Q. Would you, as a businessman, continue to invest long term in this
shrinking "AS/400" market?
You responded:
Yes we will continue to invest in the platform.
The question was about the "AS/400" market. The customers who have an
AS/400. Not the platform - that is not called an AS/400 any more. It is
the
AS/400 part that is shrinking. Not the i5/OS market, one hopes.
So, would you continue to invest in selling the "AS/400"? Or, would you
rather invest in a market that has a future - being the i5/OS market?
Trevor
midrange.com
