Re: IBM investment in i

Booth,

"When the IBM salesman calls on his AS/400 accounts"
???

I thought IBM salesmen were placed on the Endangered
Species list years ago. I've heard rumors of the
occasional sighting, but they are generally believed
to be extinct. ;-)

Yes, promises, promises, promises, but as the old
Wendy's ads used to say, "Where's the beef?"


PS - I think you're confusing a S/6 for the S/3 Mod.
6. My first Rochester product (after the card
collators & reproducing punches) was the S/3 Mod 10.

...Neil


--- Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

All of these comments are interesting and make a
point, however there is
a glaring hole in what is being done and said, in my
opinion. First, I
admit to being an IBM bigot, so these opinions would
be tough for a sane
person to substantiate. However I believe many here
will agree with me,
up to a point.

It is my experience that IBM understands and relies
upon their
stakeholders. IBM has a history of leading us in a
particular
direction, and we have generally followed along.
The reason I have
generally gone in the direction that they are push
is two-fold: Since
they know where they are going, if I will accept
their pushes it will be
best for both my career and my pocketbook. That has
proved true for me
personally since my first System 6, model 3 way back
in November of
1971.

However, for the past year or so I am getting the
feeling of being
abandoned. IBM seems to be managing the decline of
the AS/400
nameplate, however they are replacing it with a
vacuum. We had the
System 6, 32, 34, 36, 38, and finally the 400,
There was a clear
pathway. Now, I just see a huge gaping hole. When
the IBM salesman
calls on his AS/400 accounts in the foreseeable
future, what is he going
to be selling them? IBM has only "managed decline"
to offer. Does he
tell his loyal IBM customers to buy Linux?
Microsoft? Oracle? How can
s/he tell them to buy IBM?

I know, I know. Lots of promises from lots of Very
Important People.
But where's the action?


Evan Harris wrote:

Hi Anne

I was really trying to avoid responding to this

thread as well, but over the

last few years two things have convinced me that

what IBM says about

investing in the system i means something entirely

different to them than it

does to me.

The two best indicators I have seen about where

the system i is at are:

- the number of new features that have been worth

getting excited about in

any given release
- the number of Redbooks published (especially

compared to other IBM

offerings)

Both point to a complete stagnation of the

operating system.

I know there have been plenty of new features

added over the last few years

and releases, but realistically most of it has

been aimed at large

corporates with an existing investment, none of it

has been of the gee-whiz

that's cool variety (with the possible exception

of PHP) with the capacity

to attract new customers.

From what I can see IBM is investing simply to

retain the existing customer

base and ensure maximum revenue is extracted for

minimum cost.

Regards
Evan Harris



-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf

Of Anne Lucas

Sent: Wednesday, 7 May 2008 4:28 a.m.
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IBM investment in i

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

--
---------------------------------
Booth Martin
http://www.Martinvt.com

Neil Palmer, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

(This account not monitored for personal mail,
remove the last two letters before @ for that)


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