On 23 Mar 2007 15:04:17 -0700, in bit.listserv.ibm-main you wrote: >> muich snipped > > >Maybe I need to clarify my position from earlier this afternoon: I'm not >saying >that IBM doesn't listen to smaller customers, or even to individual sysprogs. >I >have certainly had a good run getting results with my suggestions - at least >those that had a glimmer of a good idea somewhere inside. I have also had >the good fortune to find really quality IBM people work magic with suggestions >(SHARE or no SHARE). > >I just wish that there was a lower-range z9 (maybe a z0.9) system that was >priced 'very affordably' (nearly free is a nice thought) for the little guys. >Small >customers need to be nurtured and small ISVs ought to be encouraged, too.
Actually, IBM and the ISVs need to understand that there isn't just old world and new world but a mixture of both. Right now people are being pushed to migrate to other platforms (sometimes on z, sometimes not) by unrealistic views of the value of compute power. A single z engine probably isn't as powerful computewise as the AMD3500 64-bit Athlon in my wife's laptop. Much of the cycles will be used to deliver friendlier user interfaces. Charges should range from small system to big system recognizing that this year's big system is a small system 5 years down the road. Also ISPF was a very powerful tool in its day. Today the IDE's available for many of the environments allow people to be far more productive and give far better value for the money. We need to be able to have people transition to them. My reluctant assessment is that the mainframe and COBOL are fast being relegated to cash cow niche status with the development environments being vastly improved on other platforms and the reliability getting to the mainframe status. Wen I get time I will try to elaborate on this. > >(If my users can claim that their programs have "always" been bug-free then I >can claim that free hardware/software should "always" be within reach of >deserving people - like me. We're both delusional by my world has nicer >flowers.) > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
