> I believe that the discussion pops up every now and then in an attempt to > frighten people away from using or working on Hercules. Fortunately, it's > pretty transparent FUD. There are 2271 subscribers to the hercules-390 > mailing list, and I'm sure there are at least as many users of the system > out there who aren't subscribed. I don't see people running for the exits.
You can't rewrite history, Jay. This particular flareup was triggered by IBM's action in removing references to Hercules from the Linux on S/390 Redbook - and in a most unorthodox way without a revision level change, rendering the old version unorderable and causing propagation to overlay it. I can only remember this happening once before, and that was over twenty years ago. As much as you might like to believe or create the impression that someone "has it in for" Hercules, it wasn't me or anyone else you might perceive as one of your enemies who brought the matter up. I also don't believe it should be seen as a "slap in the face" - more the turning away of a shoulder. I can't find out why the Linux Redbook was purged, and I have really tried. Even IBMers who talk to me privately and would probably get fired if they were ever caught doing so will not discuss Hercules under any circumstances. I appreciate the gravity of the situation as far as your product is concerned. As far as I know, only one user has a licence to run z/OS under Hercules and that door seems firmly closed. IBM is currently adamant that future releases of z/OS will require the Licence Manager, though as you probably know I'm sceptical about the technology. Linux/390 is your only legal zArchitecture OS (patent and similar issues aside) and the Redbook chapter was a major plus. The modification of the Redbook is a simple demonstrable fact - you cannot dismiss it as "pretty transparent FUD". I think a great many people using or considering Linux/390 with Hercules would like to understand why it was done and what it portends before commiting time and money to such a project. Such prudence is quite natural. -- Phil Payne http://www.isham-research.com +44 7785 302 803 +49 173 6242039
