Re: test?

Edwin Davidson wrote:

>Not saying what you are doing is the wrong decision, I just can't 
>imagine spending $10,000US+ per AS/400 for 1,400 offices.  I guess if 
>the otherwise lost profits justify it, it's the right decision.

I'd agree except I have no clear idea what an alternative platform might cost 
to do what these can and will do. I have never paid for any Windows Server 
licenses, nor SQL Server, nor have I seriously had to configure them. I've 
needed to manage a couple test environments and have some fringe experience on 
administering them, but that's about my limit. I do know bits about the 
relative ease of installing and administering such OS/400 sites remotely 
though. I'd have no problem approving the up-front costs.

Out of 1400 sites, I wouldn't be surprised if, for some, the installation labor 
costs alone could reach $10K; I've seen at least one SQL Server problem reach 
that level of cost in resolution trying to get an application running on it 
working, and the eventual fix was to start the _entire_ installation over from 
scratch. (Step 1: New system. Step 2: Format drive(s). Step 3: Install 
Windows...) Never got a resolution; never found out what went wrong. At costs 
of $100/hour, it doesn't really take very long to hit $10K.

Sure, that's a probable freak occurrence; but it was on top of the base 
up-front costs that already weren't exactly cheap. It'd really be interesting 
to _know_ the relative costs just to complete similar roll-outs.

Tom Liotta

-- 
Tom Liotta
The PowerTech Group, Inc.
19426 68th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
Phone  253-872-7788 x313
Fax    253-872-7904
http://www.powertech.com


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