Joe,
I have to say this is a first but I'm on the other side on this one as well. I
just got off the phone with an IBM client services rep and told him the
following:
"Give the developer tools away and you will promote the platform"
I know I didnt come up with this idea because someone else did earlier in this
discussion but I agree 100%. The iSeries is in need of great marketing
currently, we all know this, especially in the midwest where more companies
have dropped it than I can count. I'm not saying the platform is in trouble but
that it could use a shot in the arm and IBM's marketing surely isnt going to
help. Giving the tool away and drawing younger developers to the iSeries would
surely enrich the employee pool which may help sales who knows. To say
Rational wants it money is fine but what have they done for us (iSeries
developers), I know as a java developer (which I do as well) its an improvement
but that doesnt count since most Java developers dont just work on the iSeries.
I keep thinking back to Microsoft who has started giving away thier tools
(which are pretty good too) to promote Windows developement, what a novel idea.
The newest Visual Studio still does Visual Basic, Java and C# programs in both
form (Windows Gui) as well as web served pages and its free. It would have been
very easy for Microsoft to pull an IBM and say one of the previously mentioned
features isnt available unless you buy the professional but they didnt. Now I
know MS isnt perfect either just using this as an example of how good marketing
works. Free tools, great education, consistant features and awsome marketing in
the form of the Visual Studio kick off events (which I went to and thought was
great) are ways to invoke excitement in a platform and product.
Just my thoughts nothing more and by the way I love your WDSCi articles.
Don Nitke
----------------------------------------
From: "Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 9:50 AM
To: "'Websphere Development Studio Client for iSeries'" <wdsci-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [WDSCI-L] WDSC 7 packaging
From: John Taylor
What has Rational brought to the table in WDSC Standard? Eclipse provides
the foundation, and the iSeries group develops the iSeries extensions. So
where has the iSeries developer benefitted from the purchase of Rational.
This is not a rhetorical or facetious question. Does anyone know what
value Rational has provided to us?
First off, the Eclipse project itself is primarily an IBM project and if I'm
not mistaken Rational developers had a lot to do with Eclipse's success.
And while I have no idea how much money on or off the books goes from IBM to
Eclipse, but my guess is it's significant.
On to your other point, though, all of the WebSphere tooling is Rational.
While you may not care about that stuff for the most part, if you plan to
use WDHT, for example, you will need the Rational components. In fact, if
you plan just about any web enabling, either through WDHT or through EGL or
through your own JSP interface, you will need Rational.
That's why I tell IBM to tread lightly: if they go a la carte for all the
web pieces and the only thing that System i developers get for "free" is the
RSE extensions, then suddenly there's a lot less impetus for System i shops
(and ISVs) to go to the web. And that is the "death knell" I keep talking
about.
Joe
midrange.com
