I'm sorry, but comparing an operating system as durable, scalable and reliable as MVS to an antenna stapled to a tree - yeesh! When you buy a mainframe system, you buy security. The software and its relationship with the hardware is what provides this security. Are you seriously suggesting that an off-the-shelf Intel box is comparable, on any level?
As far as writing GNU software for anything, write it for Linux in such as way as to make it portable. The rest takes care of itself. -----Original Message----- From: Linux on 390 Port [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Rod Clayton Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 12:24 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: IBM has no realistic entry-level offering in the mainframe space I am also a radio-amateur. The most expensive thing I have ever purchased was a new HF/VHF/UHF radio for $1400. For antennas I use trees for supports etc. Amateur radio is like boating. You can spend as much as you like, but I would not be an amateur radio operator either if I had to spend $13,000. I don't see how anyone could write GNU software for VSE or VM at that price. Rod KA3BHY >On Mon, 2 Dec 2002 12:53:50 +0800, John Summerfield wrote: > >>On Mon, 2 Dec 2002 12:42, you wrote: >>> $13K entry point (not 20K) for their own system with software loan amounts >>> to an impediment that forecloses their effort. I am aware of one-man >>> shops taking IBM up on the offering, so Mr. Szumovski's post to the >>> contrary is factually incorrect. >> >>Some may find $US13 000 affordable. For me, it's sometthing to dream about. > >I certainly don't find $13K all that affordable either. But I can't help >thinking - > >I am a licensed radio-amateur - haven't been active for a while, but - the >costs involved in either buying ready-built equipment or buying the equipment >necessary to build your own were not something to be ignored. >I bought a 2nd hand HP scope 2 or 3 years ago - not the top of the line, >ended up paying EUR2000. And then think of prices for eg. spectrum-analysers or >digital signal analysers. They don't come cheap. >Putting up a tower-mast for a short-wave arial is not cheap either. Etc. etc. >PCB design software like Protel will cost you USD5000 or so - and they don't >have a hobbyist license either :-( > >So, although I *totally* agree with all of the arguments why IBM should make eg. >OS390 available on a hobbyist basis (and not at $13K), doing other things >on a hobbyist basis are expensive too. > > > > >regards, >Per Jessen, Zurich >http://www.enidan.com - home of the J1 serial console. > >Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped. -- Rod Clayton KA3BHY Systems Programmer Howard County Public Schools [EMAIL PROTECTED]
