Dave,
I doubt that the fact that one can do more on any system, such as the i, would be a rational reason for the world not making said system "mainstream." I have a friend who used to work on the iSeries and then added Oracle and SQL Server to his repertoire. I've never worked with Oracle, but Rick thinks it's a piece of c@#p because of all of the vendor extensions. From a database standpoint I've never noticed anything exciting or compelling about SQL Server, but I only did that one for about a year some years ago. Every vendor has extensions to their SQL implementation, just like the Cobol vendors.
Anyway, the database is *not* the reason that the i isn't mainstream. Rather, besides the marketing aspect that Trevor and others pounce on occasionally, it is a perception issue. First, some people perceive a Windows or Linux server as being cheaper. In some regards this may be true, in others false. Second, it runs a "proprietary" operating system; i.e., it ain't Windows or Linux. Never mind the fact that IBM i probably more "open" than Windows (i.e., in its adherence to published standards; M$ likes to make up their own). Third, the Windows aspect is important because that's what all of those newly minted "managers" coming out of college were raised on; just as my generation was raised on IBM systems.
Companies like mine keep running IBM midrange because that's what we started on (S/34, I think) and just kept upgrading. The software base (RPG II) still runs our primary applications (except the pieces I get my hands on from time-to-time). Personally and professionally I would have a hard time saying that, because we *can* run legacy code and modern code side-by-side, this is a detriment. It's the organizations that have either never had a system or have only been exposed to the ubiquitous PC that write the i off as being legacy, not mainstream, not those like you and I, as you said, who actually use it.
No, it ain't the database implementation; it's the perception. And the only people who can change that are you and I.
Jerry C. Adams
IBM System i Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale
office: 615-995-7024
email: jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dave Odom
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 1:25 PM
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: DDL Discussion continued
Jon,
Don't lump DB2/400 with the rest of the IBM DB2s as DB2/400 is an anomaly. And DB2/400 (in this use I'm clumping it in with the OS as folks say they are one) is an anomaly with any other OS or world-class RDBMS. The high minded argument of DB2/400 being the most ANSI compliant and even the most reliable means little in the rest of the RDBMS world. What they want and have is a set of RDBMs that have the same basic architecture/fundamental functionality albeit with propriety extensions. And they can find A LOT of workers trained to work on those platforms; easily and at less expensive. Rather than beating the same drum about being the most ANSI complient, I'd work on a sermon to the rest of the RDBMS/IT world that will convince them to move back to the i platform. Right now they are moving the other way as they see no compelling reason to stay with an anomaly. One of my arguments is, if the i WERE more like the main stream, it just might be more interesting and more!
considered in the marketplace. BTW, it's those folks you need to make your sermons to, not me. Here the preaching is within the same church and lost on who you need to convert/convince.
Don't think IBM is going to help much. All indications are they are planning on helping most i shops to AIX, perhaps Windoz with their standard DB2s and let the anomaly die. I wish it were not so, but reality has to be faced and a game plan made to change perceptions, at the market level (IBM will follow) or resign to reality.
Dave
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