Re: iSeries Nation Update.....

["Steve Richter" <srichter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Will the consequence of the clamor for more spending by ibm on advertising
and marketing of the iseries reduce the funds available to maintain and
enhance existing functionality in the system?

I think there is evidence that the iseries support budget is stretched
pretty thin:
    1. ptf install instructions are hard to follow, time estimates are
outdated.
    2. on my last 2 support calls, the initial contact person had very poor
instructions for how to route my call
    3. Support for legacy products dos pc support and office vision is being
dropped, effectively removing these products from the product line. This
negates the best marketing msg for the iseries: That software written for
the as400 will work long into the future no matter how the hardware and os
are changed.  The new marketing msg may have to include the disclaimer:
"This LPP expires in the year 2005"
( my solution: drop or charge extra for the technical support of the
product, but commit to not breaking it in future releases of the os )
  4. my win98, internet explorer locks on the iseries web sites much more
than it locks up on other web sites.
    5. still no 1 step, unattended process available for system upgrades,
cume loads. ( Any prediction of when an upgrade direct from the ibm web site
will be possible? )
    6. no official email point of contact for technical, "how do I ..."
questions on the iseries.
    7. domino, on the v4r4 170 system I am familiar with, shows much
evidence of being poorly implemented. Takes 20+ minutes to ipl, uses 50% of
cpu during off hours, ...

I understand the desire for more marketing of a great system, but based on
last quarters no growth in iseries sales, how much money does ibm have to
spend on this platform and where is it best spent?

Steve Richter



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