Re: Is RDi ready for prime time?

Not IBM's fault.

You bet it is. If IBM has customers that can't easily get their opinions
expressed because they have overly complicated the process, well, I would
consider that a fault.

As far as I have been able to gather, you basically don't like the

existing process and it's easier to post here, so you don't use the correct
channels.

I would say that is a fair statement.

And that's your prerogative, certainly, but not using the existing channels

is sort of like not voting because you don't like any of the candidates.
It's your prerogative certainly, but it's unlikely to make a difference.

It is completely different. I PAY IBM MONEY! And I disagree that it's
unlikely to make a difference. They are already starting down paths that I
hope will eventually make it's way to the iSeries space. For example look at
what they are doing with Redbooks and wiki's:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redwiki. In reality, if IBM was up on their
game regarding support we wouldn't need things like the midrange.com wiki
(wiki.midrange.com)

So I don't enter a lot of DCRs on existing stuff because "I used to walk

five miles in the snow barefoot every morning uphill BOTH WAYS" and so I
don't complain that much.

On that note I realize another point to why I don't often submit DCR's - I
build my own if it doesn't exist (similar to what you have done). It is
easier to spin your own wool vs. trying to get the factions at IBM to agree
on long term direction and feature sets.

After reading your post I also realize a lot of my practices come from
dwelling on and posting to open source lists for my requests. I don't
expect IBM to fully operate like an open source group, but I do expect them
to take the best of that world (the things that work) and apply it to their
own model to further their business and in the end my success as a customer.

Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com