Re: Dis- advantages of AS/400 / about rah-rah

["Kathleen Kostuck" <kkostuck@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Dean, et al...

My initial reaction to this Dis-advantages post was something on the order
of;
 "This person is asking me to DIS the AS/400 on the AS/400 gurus own list? 
Not
me! No way!"

Is it so inconceivable that a competitor is looking for exactly that?
Considering that MS was caught paying shills to send MS authored letters to
newspaper editors across the country, passing them off as actual letters
from readers?  Can you imagine seeing your comments, taken out of context,
in a computer publication or sales literature, followed by (your name here,
an AS/400 user)?

I guess maybe I'm cynical too, Dean, or worse, paranoid!  But, the thought
makes me shiver...

I understand that this person is probably stating a valid request.  I
understand that all of the people responding were just being helpful.  Yes,
competition is good.  Yes, the AS/400 will not continue to advance if no
one thinks that there is room for improvement.  But I've personally seen
too many AS/400 shops switch to NT, for what I consider the wrong reasons,
to lift a finger to help the competition.  Sorry. Won't do it. Don't ask me
to.

As for the "AS/400 rah rah", I've forwarded some of the best of it to
friends and colleagues, and students.  I'd hate to see any of them make the

mistake of getting off this platform just because they don't read or hear
anything
about the AS/400, and so they get the wrong impression from the trade
press.  And then they don't know how to argue against those that want to
switch.  Sometimes they need the ammo, and they need it from someone else. 
So don't think that you are just 'preaching to the choir'.  Keep those
comments and articles coming!!!

JM.02, 
from the trenches,

Kathleen Kostuck
___________________
(414) 402-0820       fax (414) 495-4986
kkostuck@execpc.com
Providing AS/400 Solutions
Secretary - Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professionals Association   
___________________

----------
> From: DAsmussen@aol.com
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: Dis- advantages of AS/400
> Date: Friday, December 04, 1998 12:00 AM
> 
> Mr., Mrs., Miss., Ms. Prasad,
> 
> In a message dated 98-12-01 00:02:05 EST, you write:
> 
> >     I would like to invite u all to contribute to my mission of,
> >  listing  out all possible Dis-advantages of AS/400 when compared to
other 
> > conventional platforms like Mainframes, RS/6000 with AIX, VAX etc.,
> 
> OK, I've read several responses to this one.  Cheers to those of you that
> responded in the proper positive context.  Jeers to those of you that
actually
> tried to find shortfalls in the AS/400 for worldwide publication -- the
latter
> arguments were weak at best, and resorted to the "P-word" (proprietary)
at
> worst.  Not that I would _MIND_ negative comments, as there are some to
be
> made, but _INFORMED_ negative comments would be preferred to what I've
seen
> here.  I did not see a single negative response that could not be
countered by
> either someone more familiar with the platform, or could not be said of
its
> competitors.
> 
> It may be my cynical nature, but I must ask _WHY_ someone, as a member of
this
> list, would _WANT_ to know the negative aspects of the AS/400?  We spend
most
> of our time here _touting_ the AS/400, as IBM does such a poor job of it.
> Unless the submission were from IBM, I cannot imagine a _constructive_
> criticism serving anyone but an IBM competitor...
> 
> JMHO,
> 
> Dean Asmussen
> Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
> Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
> E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com
> 
> "A man's got to know his limitations." -- "Dirty Harry" Calahan
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