Re: New list proposal - OSS400 - iSeries open source software

[Martin Rowe <martin@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thursday 10 January 2002 6:02 am, Brad Jensen wrote:
> > On Wed, 09 January 2002, Martin Rowe wrote:
> > > And let's face it, the iSeries is a niche server
>
> Ýeah, the niche of scalable, reliable, professional, and  complete
> application servers.

Hold on there - I'm not knocking it at all - just trying to say it's not
in everyone's league - certainly not for the majority of *individuals*
Maybe I should have said niche product - There's no argument that the
iSeries is a (even *the*) first class business machine.

> Any kind of company or organization. Any kind of business
> application.

Again no argument - except that the cost would make a tough choice for a
small company (just a few individuals). That's not to say getting one in
that situation would be a bad idea - just trying to convince someone who
doesn't have the experience of years of dependability of OS/400 might not
be easy.

> Tell me something that is not a 'niche server'? Give me three
> examples please?
>
> Unix is not a server, it is the basic building blocks of an
> operating system that is thirty years old, and has dozens of
> slightly different implementations.

Not a server??? So what's a pSeries if it isn't a server?

> The AS/400 is the rock solid applications server with tens of
> thousands of applications that serves the businesses that have
> transformed the world. If you could magically turn off all the
> AS/400s in the world, everyone would be out of work by the end of
> the week. If your business does not depend on an AS/400 directly,
> it depends on other businesses who do use AS/400s.

You've got me all wrong here Brad - I'm not knocking the AS/400 at all.
The list is for AS/400 OSS - stuff in RPG/CL/COBOL/etc. I want to
increase the software offerings it has to offer, not get people to switch
to another platform.

> When Linux can host OS/400, instead of the other way around, come
> and toot your horn.

What horn??? I was working on the AS/400 before I'd even seen a PC, and
before Linux was a twinkle in Linus' eye ;-) Don't get me wrong - I love
the AS/400 platform [haven't got an iSeries yet :( ] The reason I'd like
to see Linux succeed on the iSeries (as a guest OS, not the other way
round) is to make the iSeries *even* more of an all-rounder.

> They AS/400 has done as much for the USA as the Interstate Hiway
> System. No one would sit down today and write a new operating
> system that looked like Unix. It's a fossil. Unix' number one
> feature was its cheap price at a time when computer vendors could
> no longer afford to continue proprietary operating system
> development.

Well it's a fossil that gave us the internet, and has at least encouraged
open standards. I think e-business would be a different proposition if
everything were running over M$Web (TM). As far as what the AS/400 has
done for the States I couldn't comment - having not been there.

> The AS/400 is so good, it has made a stellar success of itself
> even powered by the world's ugliest programming language, RPG.

Now that I take exception to. I don't find RPG ugly at all - just the way
that some people write it ;-)

> If open source is really open, you can use it in proprietary
> packages also.  Otherwise it is just another ego-trip by
> controlfreaks who are too chicken to stand up and be financially
> responsible for themselves.

But depending on the license it doesn't always stay open which is where I
have difficulty. That's why I pointed jt at the Vim license - do what you
like with unmodified code, but at least let the *maintainer* see any
modifications, so they have the option of improving the main product as a
result. One of the reasons for the new list would be discuss this sort of
thing. I'd be happy to dual license my code if there were a more iSeries
appropriate one that people agreed on.

> One man's opinion.

As are my posts :-) Accepted as such and thanks for the contribution.

> I've been there, done that, and own SEVERAL t-shirts.
>
> And yes, I use Unix too - for mail servers and other
> single-function general purpose servers. Had to pull the Linux
> because it was too hackable.
                 ^^^ ^^^^^^^^
So you don't use Windows then ;-)

> Brad Jensen

Finally, would you be interested if the list were set up? I've had around
20 (positive) replies so far, with no-one really hating the idea.

Regards, Martin
--
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