RE: You're all REALLY missing the point (Was: NOTICE to IBM: You're all missi... -- RPG400-L

Is there any real evidence that the AS/400 is dying?  Are sales way down?
Are customers fleeing to other platforms at a greater or lesser rate than
they are migrating to the AS/400?  We know Windows NT/2000 will do well
enough to buy Bill a new pony but where are the enterprise applications?
One can do only so much with a word processor and a spreadsheet. We also
know that Oracle will pursue enterprises but  ERP has lost it's luster, so
if a firm wanted to leave the AS/400 platform, where would they turn?  What
different alternatives do they have now over what they had in 1995? Or in
1990?

-----Original Message-----
From: DAsmussen@aol.com [mailto:DAsmussen@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000 12:19 AM
To: boothm@goddard.edu
Subject: Re: You're all REALLY missing the point (Was: NOTICE to IBM:
You're all missi...


Simon,

Excellent piece.  I've suggested it before, but I would add the following:

In a message dated 6/3/00 8:45:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
shc@flybynight.com.au writes:

<<snip>>
> If a customer is sold an AS/400 it is basically a one-time sale.  Sell the

hardware and 
> software and perhaps some services to install it and get it running.  Then

what?  A few 
> phone calls a few times a year "So, Mr Customer, How're things? Anything I

can help 
> you with?"  "No Thanks," the customer replies "We're doing all right!"  An

occasional 
>  upgrade?  That situation does not help keep the hordes of 'consultants' 
employed by 
>  these service organisations in work.  They would have to find NEW 
customers all the 
>  time.  It is far better to sell customers a Unix or NT solution where you

know you will 
>  be back every second week doing something for them.  So none of these 
'consulting' 
>  outfits is interested in selling a solution that doesn't have a huge 
amount of added 
>  service possibilities. 
<<snip>>

Yep, so why doesn't Rochester team up with concerned developers, customers, 
and insiders to form an entirely different company?  IBM would lose the box 
it's been trying to lose for the last seven years, good people would keep 
their jobs, and a Malcolm Baldridge plant would stay in business.  
Everybody's happy!

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"While an original is always hard to find, he is easy to recognize." -- John

L. Mason
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