>Well, someone had to pay for PCOMM, the price is AFAIK approx.$250-350 >per license....
Ah, no. Pet peeve of mine when someone gets the price wrong. :-) Looking at U.S. prices, right now at ibm.com the highest price you could possibly pay is US $238. To get that price you would follow these steps: 1. Visit the product page any way you wish. Here's the direct link: http://www.ibm.com/software/network/hostaccess 2. Click on the "How to buy" link. 3. Click on "Software online catalog." 4. Click on "View pricing." 5. Place your order for part number D6152LL. Some rainy day I'll explain why there are seemingly two part numbers for the same product. There are at least two ways you can get a lower price: (a) Instead of selecting "Software online catalog" in step #3, select "IBM Passport Advantage Online." That's one way to get any volume pricing you may be entitled to. The other way is to order through your favorite Passport Advantage software reseller. (b) As published in the Host Access Client Package announcement letter, there's a "Trade-Up" part number. That is, if you have a valid license to any host access product, IBM or non-IBM, whether or not it still has support or maintenance, and you plan to retire that license (never use it again), then you can buy the trade-up part number instead. Yes, there have been people who've traded in actual 3270 terminals. This part number is D5D27LL. Take this part number and either order it through your favorite software reseller or, if you don't have a favorite, search on your favorite shopping Web site. If you use http://www.google.com/products for example you'll get prices starting from about $75 (academic/educational license) and starting from about $150 (commercial license). Or you can use this D5D27LL part number as in method (a) if you're eligible for a volume price. Please note both part numbers mentioned include IBM subscription and support for 12 months. That is, you can open PMRs to get help, and you are entitled to any new versions IBM releases during your subscription period. In addition, as mentioned, Host Access Client Package includes both Personal Communications and WebSphere Host On-Demand, so you have a license to both products. HOD is compatible with many types of clients: Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and even OS/2 Warp or eComStation. (HOD relies on having Java on the client.) Both products are compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit clients, as applicable. Personal Communications V5.9, on Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients, specifies that the client should have a minimum of 64 MB with 128 MB recommended. It's not a particularly "heavy" piece of software and should be fine on the 512 MB PC mentioned. Your license is per-person. That is, if you have a PC on your desk at work, another PC at home, and a notebook you carry when you travel, you can install and use the software on all three PCs as long as you're the only person using the software. If there's another person who wants to use the software also, that person needs to buy a license. If you switch from a Windows PC running PComm to a Macintosh running HOD, no problem -- you is still you. No need to call IBM, and there's no product key to fuss with. Except for the System i license part numbers (which permit System i/iSeries/AS400 connections only), you can connect to any system(s) you wish, including System i. If your subscription+support is coming due you can renew it at the renewal price (which is lower than the initial price) or allow your subscription to lapse. If you allow your subscription to lapse it's more expensive to restart. Regardless, you have a license to continue to run any versions you were entitled to during your active subscription period. So, for example, if Version 5.10 becomes available within the next 12 months (within your subscription period), you can continue to run Version 5.10 in the year 2185 if you're still around. If you want to run Version 5.9 in a Windows XP virtual machine, Version 5.10 (assuming it was made available) on the host OS, and another Version 5.9 in a Windows 2000 virtual machine on a separate Linux laptop -- no problem. You is still you. You are not virtual, even if the software is. All product manuals are available at ibm.com even before you buy. Prices may vary in other countries, but part numbers do not. Use electronic delivery for the most convenient and quickest access to software if you can, and possibly for more favorable tax treatment. Otherwise, media are available for order, sometimes free sometimes not, depending on your contract and the product. Hope that all helps. It was probably worth a review on how IBM software licensing works and the typical ways to shop for IBM software. - - - - - 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] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
