On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:14:17 -0500, Wayne Driscoll <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> As part of making the z10 offering, why couldn't IBM come up > with an official offering (granted in a different format) for > people with older hardware? To understand "why", you would have to understand IBM's order entry and fulfillment systems. They are all tied into the billing system. Orders go in, product comes out, bills get sent. If you want to avoid a bill, don't put it into the ordering system. Ah, but you need the deliverables from fulfillment, so you need an order. "There's a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza...." That's dumb, right? Wrong. It's all dictated by the Terms and Conditions under which software is offered. You cannot offer the same software with two sets of terms and conditions, so enter the Evaluation Edition, stage right. It isn't z/VM as you would order it traditionally. It's different. It has different code in it, different ordering mechanism, different support, different Ts and Cs. "Regular" z/VM is an IPLA (OTC) product. That means no trial period. Why? Because there's no provision for such in programs offered under the International Program License Agreement. Instead, you're entitled to a refund. But that still means cash on the barrel. "Why is z/VM IPLA, then!" Because your IT managers and CIOs (collectively) said z/VM was getting too expensive. OK, get off the MLC (MSU-based) choo- choo and climb aboard IPLA. "But z/xxxx has a trial period!" Yes, but it isn't offered under IPLA. It's offered under the IBM Customer Agreement instead. On the plus side, in the mainframe space you see only two IBM license agreements (apart from Open Source): ICA and IPLA. You don't have to wonder what the license says, except to read the "specific" parts. You might say that IBM needs another kind of license. Dunno, maybe it does. But that's the kind of thing that goes to the Top. Execs. Lawyers. Business Practices experts. Top People. We didn't want to wait that long. If you're just kicking the tires or wanting to see what it looks like, z/VM EE is good, and those with a z10, you have a leg up on those that don't. Those with z9s have options, too, but they're not any worse than they were before z/VM EE. And if you're in a Real PoC, even on a z10, I think you want Real z/VM. z/VM EE does not include RACF (for those so inclined) or RSCS. And I would think you'd want to play with those (RACF, at least) in a PoC. And everyone, even z10ers, will have to navigate IBM waters to get real z/VM. But we're offering the Eval Edition and await comments from those who use it. Alan Altmark z/VM Development IBM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
