Quick pet peeve alert(*): the term "open systems" as currently applied. For example, I fail to see how a Microsoft Windows server is an "open system" and a mainframe running Linux (an open source operating system, after all(**)) is not.
Could we all agree to call them "distributed systems"? Seems a much less value-loaded term, and it happens to be more accurate. And yes, I know, I've got a battle at my own company to have us all start using plain language names, but I'm trying to do my part. :-) (*) Honest, I don't have too many. Cracking knuckles is another one -- makes me cringe. :-) (**) In fact, mainframe Linux distributions contain a greater percentage of open source code than the average X86 distribution. Linux on z is down to just a single OCO (object code only) module: an optional tape driver. Typical X86 distributions have many, many more OCO drivers, such as those for Nvidia and ATI video cards, and SmartLink "Winmodems." - - - - - Timothy F. Sipples Consulting Enterprise Software Architect, z9/zSeries IBM Japan, Ltd. E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
