Timothy Sipples wrote:
Kirk Wolf writes:
IMO, it is no coincidence that IBM's mainframe business
was strongest when there was a competitive PCM market.
Is this true ("...strongest when...")? What about most of the 1990s? Just
asking. There's certainly a hyper-competitive business server market
today. I think that's been wonderful for mainframe technology progress and
for consumers.
I agree with Alan that IBM PWD is the go-to team for ISV support and
cultivation. However, let's be crystal clear: there's zero impediment that
I can see for basement tinkerers/inventors to create wonderful products for
the IBM mainframe.... when it's running Linux. At the risk of crossing
Alan's recommended line -- coming up to the edge with a personal
opinion/question here -- is Linux an appropriate "bootstrap" business
strategy for cash-poor but idea-rich BT/Is who ultimately want to expand to
the z/OS, z/VSE, z/VM, and/or z/TPF markets? Does Linux entry get them the
$1,000 U.S. per month (if that's what it is) from a venture capitalist,
from regular cash flow, or from other revenue sources to expand?
And your Linux products port to z/OS how? Oh, they don't. They
port to Linux on z. [BTW, I learned that the term "zLinux" is
actually copyrighted by some non-IBM company, and they are
pretty agressive in maintaining that copyright.]
It seems to me that IBM has pretty clearly shown their only long
term interest in z is to run Linux there. It's easier to sell than
z/OS, seems more modern and open source-y. The danger here is that
z becomes a commodity. How is z differentiated when its running
Linux? And where does that leave z/OS, the so-called "flagship
operating system"?
If there's a cogent argument why not, PWD needs to know and consider it..
Alan's right: it won't be solved in this forum.
Back indirectly to Kirk's point: in the fondly remembered yesteryear --
let's pick the 1970s as an example -- how much did BT/Is pay for MVS time
(in 1970s inflation-adjusted dollars)? As another data point (just for
fun), according to press reports the Sony Playstation 3 development kit has
a price tag somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000 U.S., and that does not
include the royalties Sony collects on every game disc you sell. That's
for a game that might have a sales life of a few months (if you're lucky),
not for access to, say, the world financial industry's data processing
software market for years or decades.
It's gaming. It's not business. [Well, actually, gaming _is_ big
business these days. A Colorado University recently changed its
IS program to allow for a master's in game design.]
But if PWD needs to do better -- entirely possible -- is everyone sending
their good arguments to PWD?
- - - - -
Timothy Sipples
IBM Consulting Enterprise Software Architect
Specializing in Software Architectures Related to System z
Based in Tokyo, Serving IBM Japan and IBM Asia-Pacific
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Kind regards,
-Steve Comstock
The Trainer's Friend, Inc.
303-393-8716
http://www.trainersfriend.com
z/OS Application development made easier
* Our classes include
+ How things work
+ Programming examples with realistic applications
+ Starter / skeleton code
+ Complete working programs
+ Useful utilities and subroutines
+ Tips and techniques
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