Trevor,
I really don't want to spend time on this thread, but I'll just say that
I have been a vocal proponent of IBM midrange for 25 years, and I'm
frankly getting tired of feeling like I'm doing IBM's job for them. On
one hand, it is in my best interest to try to prolong the use of this
platform, but the other hand I do not feel qualified to "sell" this
system to my employers.
I'm a technical guy, well versed in development, operations, and
administration. I understand the technology behind this system, and am
capable of designing and implementing a variety of solutions for my
employer. I AM NOT A SALESMAN! I do not know all the factors to use to
calculate TCO comparisons (POWER6 vs Intel, backup/recovery costs,
maintenance costs, etc.) and all the other "stuff" needed to convince a
business manager to adopt this platform. I don't want to be a salesman.
Isn't this what IBM's sales division and/or business partner is supposed
to do?
Please, don't misunderstand, I will always promote this platform when I
get the opportunity. However, the decision is rarely made based on a
list of esoteric technologies like SLS, or hardware independence, or
object based security... How do these factors get evaluated in a TCO
analysis? Would these factors even be included in a TCO assessment?
How do managers assess the relative merits of these technologies?
Frustrated i-guy,
Eric DeLong
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Trevor Perry
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 10:30 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Casino switches to AIX
Mark,
You have made some great points. I appreciate that you are kicking ideas
around, rather than doom+gloom. This is the kind of debate that is
needed.
I am not an advocate of the name 'changes'. And, in fact, if you have
read anything I have written here since April, I have stopped pushing
anything related to the name 'change'. I am an advocate of promoting the
platform. I am an advocate of promoting the future of the platform, not
living in the glorious past. To put it simply, if you replace your
current server and OS, or if you buy a new one from IBM, then you will
be ordering IBM i on a Power System.
And yes, I see that as a NEW platform, albeit one that can run our
heritage as we need. And, even if that is just a marketing statement, it
takes away the attack by the opposition that it is just another old
AS/400. You talk about marketing, but have you considered this may be
one of the MOST effective marketing tools we have?
IBM definitely should be marketing their systems. And, in fact, they do.
What the average person does not see is the ad on tv, or in the airline
magazine, etc. Because IBM does not do those for IBM i. If you don't see
those, does that mean IBM are not marketing? Read the transcript of the
Fireside chat with Ross Mauri (
http://isociety.org/Chat20081111.html)
Quote:
"our marketing spend to attract new customers is not TV ads ... it's
investment in co-marketing programs with ISVs ... we have seen real
results from those types of programs because they speak directly to
customers business needs more so than a generic TV spot"
My point is, that instead of complaining about what IBM are supposedly
not doing, we as a community should DO something. And 'marketing' is
just one of those things. I regularly ask user groups several questions.
1. How many of you told someone else about the i this week/month/year.
The number of people who have is ALWAYS small. Very small to none. 2.
How many of you called someone and invited them to this meeting? Again,
small to none. 3. How many of you come to this user group even when
there is a topic you are not interested in. Again, none to small. What I
see is a lot of noise about how things are not going 'my way', but when
asked to do simple things that may cost you nothing, yet help promote
the FUTURE of the platform (as opposed to the glorious past), our
community shuts down (and says I am harassing them about a 'name'). Poor
defense, really.
You say "Once IBM steps up to the plate and does what it should" as
though you know what IBM ~should~ do. Have you any suggestions about how
to run a "
multi-billion dollar corporation"? Or the marketing thereof? If you did,
then we could get all our ideas together in the one place - er, say a
forum?
and we could SHOW IBM what we mean - rather than just complaining. I
tried that when we had System i - with i4everyone.com, but it was rather
lonely out there. Yeah, I know, we are all programming and have little
time to 'play'. But, I believe in the platform, and I believe in its
future, and I am willing to invest in its future. You want one of my
iGuru buttons? Or, would you prefer iNerd? Those cost ~me~, but I think
they have had an impact on the world - one button at a time.
I remember a few COMMON conferences back where iSociety handed out over
30 Podcast Factory packages, and they got promises from all of those
people to make a podcast to promote System i. Do you know how many i
podcasts were produced with those? ZERO. How do we get people to DO
something - anything at all to PROMOTE the platform. Not just say great
things, but say them where OTHER people can read them? Not just say we
will do something, but DO it.
And, while "Shouting how great this system is does not make the reality
of the lost sales and clients any less painful or any less real" may be
true, shouting (showing your passion and being active about it) is ONE
of the ways we as a community can DO something at little to NO cost.
Shout on.
Trevor
On 11/19/08 10:30 AM, "M. Lazarus" <mlazarus@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
Trevor,
I'd like to address a few points you've made.
- You mention FUD. Is this truly misplaced FUD by a few wimps or is
there a real basis for some fear, uncertainty and doubt? By and
large, for the last 20 years, the faithful have been telling anyone
that will listen that this is the greatest business platform out
there. *WE* have been doing our jobs spreading the word. It's IBM
that has let the ball drop - over and over again.
- You are an advocate of the name changes. Your position is that it
succeeds in giving the world the impression that this revamped
midrange box is now a new and improved product. Most of the people in
the trenches, as voiced very loudly on this list, DISAGREE with that
assertion. Why? Because we are the ones speaking to out clients and
potential customers. The customers do not know or care what it is
called. They want to know:
1) What will it cost?
2) What can it do for me?
3) What does it look like?
The answers are:
1) INITIALLY more than a Windows or Linux solution. So we lose out on
the sale, when a side by side short term comparison is made. Few
companies are looking at the long term picture, when it comes to IT
budgets. This has been true for a while, but is more acute now.
2) We've got some great business applications, but basic functionality
that everyone expects to be included in ALL systems nowadays, e.g.
graphical integration, printing, email management, etc. are sorely
stuck in the last decade.
3) To a user, the interaction with the computer *IS* the computer.
The current state of the native screen output looks tired, compared to
just about any other system the user has dealt with.
As I mentioned above, we are doing our part. IBM's marketing is
not. IBM has millions (or even billions) of marketing dollars to
spend. We do not. Once IBM steps up to the plate and does what it
should, the faithful will have something real to shout from the
rooftops. Until then, existing customers will be leaving and few new
customers will be joining.
Is it just me or is it a ludicrous notion that a multi-billion
dollar corporation needs our charitable marketing contributions to
keep a profitable product line alive???
BTW, despite what you may think, this is NOT a gloom+doom, "all is
lost" post. We're on this list to get the most out of the system and
kick around ideas on how to promote its success. Shouting how great
this system is does not make the reality of the lost sales and clients
any less painful or any less real.
-mark
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