RE: IBM's Frank Soltis "let go"

John,

I'm a newbie here. There is a discussion going on at my shop
to replace the System z with a System i due to the cost of
the z (hardware and especially software). This thread sounds
a lot like the threads on IBM-MAIN about the same concerns.
IBM, as a company, seems to not be interested in the "legacy"
market any more. I would love an Open/i5OS and an OpenZos in
the vein of OpenSolaris. But IBM will "ride the revenue
stream" for as long as they can. If they destroy the market
in the interim, then attitude seems to be "well then so be it".

Your message should give IBM Executives pause - through a perceived lack
of commitment from IBM, your organization is contemplating leaving z for
i. But now that you detect a similar lack of IBM's commitment to i,
your organization has to ask itself if this migration is prudent. This
is an example of the fear, uncertainty, and doubt IBM is creating about
it's own product lines, just imagine what a competitor might do with
this.

If large numbers of the traditional i advocates we all know and love are
leaving IBM, I'm sad. And I will miss them. I do understand that
sometimes management feels the need to refresh organization with new
talent and new thinking. I get that. The thing to watch going forward
is whether IBM takes steps to put a new guard in place.

Thinking at a macro level (and I know there are real people with real
jobs at stake here), a purging of the old guard in in any team in favor
of a new team could be reason for cautious optimism. But purging of the
old guard without a plan for succession is reason for clear-eyed
pessimism. Please let IBM introduce us to their visionaries of
tomorrow.



jte

--
John Earl