Re: IBM investment in i

Anne,

I appreciate your comments, and respect your opinion.
I know your heart is in "our" system too. I know
"our" system will still be around in one form or
another in 10 to 15 years, as is OS/2, VSE, etc. But
the chart at the foot of the bed has D.N.R. written on
it. I could be wrong. I HOPE I'm wrong. I want IBM
to PROVE me wrong. But....

When you say you won't believe anything unless you
hear it from an IBM Executive, which executive would
that be?

Would that be the IBM executive who stood in front of
us at COMMON two years ago in Minneapolis and
"guaranteed" the new System i name would endure for
ten years?

Would that be the IBM executive who in an interview a
little over 5 years ago said there was no plan to
merge i + p - when obviously something like that has
been in IBM's plans for well over 5 years?
(You say yourself "We've known this merger was coming
for a long time.")

Would you expect IBM executives to publicly speak the
truth about this?

You've surely spoken to some of the developers (and
ex-developers) from Rochester and know what the
situation and morale is like there. I myself was
approached at one of the iSocial evenings at COMMON in
Nashville by some of the developers in Rochester and
thanked for my comments at the Town Hall meeting.

As Mark Shearer said just recently in Nashville,
OS/400 (he just referred to it as the "operating
system") is the "secret sauce". It's what defines
"our" system and always has. The OS budget stands
alone regardless of whether the hardware platforms are
merged. You still need to spend on the OS if the
hardware platforms become one.

I agree with you entirely when you say we should be
asking "OK, IBM....what does that mean for your
faithful IBM i customers? What does that mean for
"net new" IBM i customers?"

Anne, I know you're a fighter and aren't afraid to
take things to IBM. Take it to the "IBM executives".
All "they" have to do is issue a public statement
saying that "i" is a better business environment than
Windows, Linux and AIX, and outline IBM's plans (and
budget) to make as many people aware of "i" as they
are of the other operating systems.

Removing the organization, the budget and the name is
a strange way of enhancing a vibrant product. "Our"
system's development has been "functionally
stabilized". You can see what that means here:
http://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/news/column/0,294698,sid91_gci1310086,00.html

IBM has decided that it wants to be a services
company. If you are a services company, it is not in
your interests to sell something that just works.

...Neil


--- Anne Lucas <alucas@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I truly started to not respond to the comments on
the IT Jungle article
by Neil Palmer. I know many of you on this
midrange.com list and have a
great deal of respect for you and your opinions, but
it does get
tiresome to hear the same thing over and over. But
then, I wouldn't
miss reading the posts because I don't want to miss
anything! <sigh>

When it comes to what IBM is, or is not doing with
budgets for IBM i
R&D, I personally do not believe anything unless I
hear it directly from
an IBM executive, or if it is part of IBM's official
release. No
offense meant to you, Neil. I've known you for many
years and I know
your heart is in this product. I've heard every
number in the book
thrown around about what i's budget was, is and will
be...I don't
believe any of it.

If I put on a business owner, or CFO hat on, I have
to assume with the
merger/unification of i and p, budgets are being
merged also. Research,
development, etc. teams will/are/have been merged.
Instead of assuming
that is a bad thing, we should be saying "OK,
IBM....what does that mean
for your faithful IBM i customers? What does that
mean for "net new"
IBM i customers?"

I have a hard time dealing to this fear, uncertainty
and doubt without
getting substantiated facts.

So...yes...am still being positive, because I
believe in the IBM
executive leadership and I believe in the i product.
We've known this
merger was coming for a long time. Over the past
two years, I've gotten
an immersion, more like a dunkin', into the x, p and
storage side of the
IBM house. There's some great "stuff" there.

IF, however, there are substantiated facts that IBM
needs to address, I
have no problem taking my complaints, or anyone
else's to any IBMer.
Trust me, there is a tough side to this "sweet
little southern gal".
When IBM is wrong, I don't mind calling their hand
on it. I choose to
look on the brighter side. I'm still digesting all
of this
announcement...it is huge!

Thanks!


.....Anne

************************
Have a blessed day!
Anne Lucas, Genisys Group Inc.
Customer Account Executive
205-823-4831 Office, 205-746-6850 Mobile Fax:
205-690-4193
email: alucas@xxxxxxxxxxx
AOL Instant Message: So Anne Lucas

www.teamggi.com

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