Re: What is an IBM Power Server really?

On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 12:58 PM, <dlclark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 06/14/2018
12:39:13 PM:

I think calling IBM i a GUI would be confusing and unhelpful. The
question presupposes that the audience has heard of Unix. It would
be better to call IBM i a mainframe-flavored alternative to Unix.

My first reaction is that actual IBM "mainframes" are now
"servers" that are an "alternative" to Unix because they, too, have
AIX/Linux process cards under the covers. So, how does that
differentiation the IBM i from an actual IBM mainframe?

It doesn't, but that didn't seem to be the goal. It certainly wasn't
*my* goal. I just wanted to give an example of something better than
"IBM i is a GUI over Unix", which is what OP proposed.

My second reaction is that using the word "mainframe" in
connection with the IBM i, at all, is likely to scare any potential
listeners away because the word "mainframe" is perceived badly in the
traditional networked "microcomputer" server environment.

We don't know the audience. You'll have the same problem no matter
what you say. Some people think of "AS/400" in a negative light
because they see it as esoteric and outdated. Others think of it in a
positive light because they see it as stable and reliable. Some people
have no idea what to think because they've never heard of it. Throw in
practically any of IBM's names and products into the "AS/400" slot for
similar results. Heck, throw in IBM itself. Yeah, everybody's heard of
IBM, but you'll get a mix of preconceived negative and positive
reactions based on those three letters alone.

John Y.