Charles, I hear where you're coming from, but this sword cuts both ways. If I have an install on the mainframe go south, I have the diagnostic tools to figure out what went wrong and correct the problem. Comparing that to my Windows install on my home PC, it says I have 75 critical updates that I need to install, but when I click the next-next-go it just sits there claiming it is downloading the updates but nothing happens. I get no errors, no nothing indicating what's wrong. I try to run the "updater fix it tool" and the extent of errors I get back consists of "something went wrong". I shudder to think what mess we'll be in if the mainframe installation ever gets to that level.
Rex -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Charles Mills Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2016 11:05 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Installation Improvements (was Re: Links to IBM announcements for today appear to be broken) As part of the group that contributed to this, let me say that you can sigh at "click on setup.exe" but the fact is that the mainframe is facing a labor crisis. If I were the CEO of a software vendor, what would I tell my shareholders when they asked "what are you going to sell when there is no one at the customer who can install your stuff?" As a vendor, we feel this pressure already: it's not (yet?) that no one can install our stuff -- instead it is "we don't have anyone available to install your stuff for at least six weeks." You can imagine how much a commissioned salesperson likes to hear that! And yes, you can say there would not be a labor crisis if mainframe shops were willing to pay and train more, but we live in the world we live in, not the world we would like to live in. As a software vendor I cannot change global corporate mentality, but by gum, I can change how our software installs. Charles -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jousma, David Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2016 8:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Installation Improvements (was Re: Links to IBM announcements for today appear to be broken) Yea, I've been watching the software installation feature of z/OSMF grow. I am not yet a believer, honestly, for the same reasons I am not a believer in CA's MSM either. In the grand scheme of things, the actual act of installing software and/or maintenance is pretty miniscule compared to everything else we do. Maybe if you are a one-man show at your shop, it would help. I wouldn't say we are overstaffed, but we do consciously install software maintenance just two times per year(not including the occasional PTF to fix a problem), that I don't see that much benefit to using this. If I spend more than a couple hours a couple times a year downloading/applying maintenance I would call it excessive. To me, it seems like a lot of effort went into designing/building something that has limited efficiency savings. I guess the goal is to get to the point of double clicking on setup.exe just like in windows.....sigh... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN The information contained in this message is confidential, protected from disclosure and may be legally privileged. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, distribution, copying, or any action taken or action omitted in reliance on it, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic or hard copy format. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
