Right now is a real good time, Paul! Right now!
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Paul Nelson
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 6:05 PM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: RE: Where can I find a list of current IBM i companies?
Remind me some time to tell about the owner of one of my clients flying me to Tulsa to watch him kill the power supply to his Oracle server room.
Paul Nelson
Cell 708-670-6978
Office 512-392-2577
nelsonp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Anderson, Kurt
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 4:57 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: Where can I find a list of current IBM i companies?
Turning the table on that conversation is doable.
Make your own company understand and value the power of the IBM i. It's really an awareness thing. Our own CEOs could very well be the person sitting over cocktails talking about their own machine and system. Even if the machine isn't new, it's not like it's sitting idle with no development, right? I'm sure there are some CEOs who are keen on the latest and greatest, but most CEOs are also keen on ROI.
Sure, easier said than done, but it can be done.
-Kurt
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Paul Nelson
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 4:32 PM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: RE: Where can I find a list of current IBM i companies?
<< I would be equally wary of jumping to the newest, shiniest thing.>>
In my travels over the last nearly 40 years in the business, I have frequently encountered the "Me too" denizens of upper management.
This usually entails decisions made by the MBAM (management by airline
magazine) method, the "conversation the boss had with another boss over cocktails in the first class section of an airplane" method, or (shudder) "My fraternity brother has this system, so we need one too" method.
Been there, seen it.
Paul Nelson
Cell 708-670-6978
Office 512-392-2577
nelsonp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Yeung
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 4:19 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Where can I find a list of current IBM i companies?
On Thu, Oct 17, 2013 at 4:11 PM, Stone, Joel <Joel.Stone@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
No matter how good or bad the iseries may be, the city gov would
probably be best served with a platform that is running many other
city government organizations.
I believe many other cities still do use the i.
With iseries, you are re-inventing the wheel for each of these [other
systems that must be integrated] and it is enormously expensive. With
a platform that is used by thousands of other cities, it is simply a
matter of following a setup procedure from the
vendor/county/state/fed.
I agree with the premise that reinventing the wheel is expensive, but you haven't provided any evidence that sticking with the i necessarily entails reinventing the wheel for things. You also haven't provided evidence that going to some other platform doesn't *also* entail reinventing the wheel for things.
They are and should be concerned with what other CITIES are running,
which is why they want to drop iseries (as stated by you, other cities
apparently have moved off iseries as heard at city leadership
conferences).
I think it does make sense for a city to be more concerned with other cities than with businesses. Mike never said they (the IT group he works for) know for sure what the upper management knows or has heard; it was just a working theory. I would not be surprised if plenty of cities do think of the i as outdated, and some have surely migrated away from it. I also would not be surprised if (as Mike was
wondering) some cities' upper management *think* they have migrated, but haven't really. (For example, if a city now has a browser interface to some important functions that they used to do on green screens, it could well be that they still have their i.)
So if you want to keep working for the city and NOT be grouped with
the legacy platform, then EMBRACE the search for the new system and be
a cheerleader for it.
Well, this comment has value to the extent that it attempts to counter "unjustified" loyalty or attachment to existing systems. I would be equally wary of jumping to the newest, shiniest thing.
The thing to embrace is a sincere examination of the situation. That is, be open. Be rational. Be objective. There are definitely advantages to platforms other than the i. There are advantages to the i. There are advantages to staying with what you have (be it i or something else). Are the advantages of a new system big enough to justify the cost of changing to it? In most cases, it's impossible to have perfect knowledge of all these things, but at least you can strive to avoid being closed-minded.
John
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