Patrick O'Keefe wrote:
Considering the decline in the number of mainframe shops, the decline in SHARE attendance is understandable. And lamentable.
SHARE was formed at a time when intercommunication between installations was limited and systems had many problems. For decades, SHARE (and GUIDE) participation was seen as crucial for maintaining a competent and competitive IT (aka Data Processing) organization.
These days, information is cheap and communication easy. Just look at the wealth of information, discussion and collaboration available right here on IBM-Main! Ask a question; get an answer the same day! (A lot of "noise" too. Just focus in on what Mark Zelden has to say and you'll be AOK.) Mainframe systems are so reliable, they're taken for granted. And, web sites now provide manuals, flashes, white papers, wizards, tutorials, instant downloads of products and service, and seemingly everything else one might need to run a smooth IT organization.
Because of this, the value proposition of SHARE, while still tremendous, is less obvious than it once was. And as such, it's less likely to draw the same level of interest as in the past.
This would be true even if the number of mainframe shops was increasing. -- Edward E Jaffe Phoenix Software International, Inc 5200 W Century Blvd, Suite 800 Los Angeles, CA 90045 310-338-0400 x318 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.phoenixsoftware.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
