I am looking for mainframe and mixed midrange/mainfram email list serves -- MIDRANGE-L

This messageis both commercial and funny (well I think so.) If
either of those things offend you hit the delete key now, please.
It does relate to the AS/400. It's also a long post, so if you
don't like long posts you might want to skip it also.

I noticed in the monthly posting of the midrange-L list that I am
supposed to identify myself as a vendor. In case it isn't obvious
by the constantly changing promotional tag-line, I am a vendor,
I've been developing archiving applications for the AS/400 and
RS/6000 for the last 12 years (and they are almost done, I
swear!). That last part was a joke, my software is running on
about a thousand midrange systems.

After reading how a competitor sold a $315,000 report archiving
system to a mainframe customer, and knowing that we can beat the
pants off that competitor in any fair fight, with our system that
costs $25,000 for the unlimited concurrent users, we decided to
take pity on the mainframe users and add 3270 telnet support. We
already have 4 or five mainframe users, but not greenscreen
access. My programmer started on it this morning, he thinks it
might take all week. (He's got some other stuff to do on other
projects too.) It kind of works in line mode, but we are going to
do it full screen.

I guess we shouldn't sell the $10K five-user license on the
mainframe side, it would probably embarass them to buy it.

What we will have next week is an archiving system where you can
download reports (via lpr or ftp) from AS/400, and Unix, and NT,
and about anything else,   including mainframe, and you can view
the downloaded reports from 5250, 3270, unix terminals, any
standard NT client, Windows PCs, and web browsers (the web
interface costs extra but for you a special deal!)

So I think it would be smart of me to find mainframe lists, and
particularly mainframe/midrange lists, and offer helpful comments
where possible.

Can you help me? Will you help me? If you know of email lists and
web sites that are particularly useful, please email me, I guess
privately unless other people would like this info.

I do know some useful stuff, more on the web side of integration
and PC, but I own four or five AS/400s (they aren't all turned on
at the same time, necessarily.)

And I am working on a nifty thing for the AS/400, I haven't seen
anything like it out there. I actually invented it 6 years ago,
but technology had to catch up with me.

Also, we were talking about the interactive penalty, and I am
wondering if a converter/server system that converted screen calls
into X, then served X over TCP/IP (which means real green screens
won't work, only emulators, unless there are remote 5250
controllers that speak TCP/IP). It would have to parse and convert
RPG source, there would be a recompile. Yes, I know about
subfiles, that will be the hard part. (and it may be the
impossible part, apparently some of the intelligence is in the
controllers.)

I don't mean X windows, I mean X marks the spot - I don't know
what to call the server yet. From what you guys say, this won't
have interactive status, and it should scream like a banshee. (at
this point it is strictly vaporware.)

I know I can make it, I am really doubtful people will buy it.

Thers's my long post, I hope parts were interesting or fun.

Brad Jensen
LaserVault.com Try it - you'll like it!