Re: OS/400 on a Sun unix

[Hans Boldt <boldt@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Brad Stone wrote:
> Actually, porting OS400 to other platforms would be the
> best move that IBM would make, as long as they didn't
> charge 20k for a license (maybe 500 bucks or so at the
> most).  
>
> Even porting to mac would be great (and a reason for me to
> buy one).  I believe the mac and as/400's hardware
> (processor) are similar.

It shouldn't be difficult to understand why that ain't gonna happen 
anytime soon. For one reason, OS/400 is simply tied too much to a 
specific hardware platform. Sure, the processor used in current 
Mac's is similar to the AS/400's CPU, but AFAIK, it's not quite the 
same.

The big issue, of course, is the single level store. Some say that 
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, in case you 
haven't noticed, ever since CPF was released 25 years ago, not a lot 
of other computer manufacturers have been flattering IBM. Single 
level store is still very much an oddity in the realm of computer 
architectures, and probably the biggest bottleneck in any attempt to 
port OS/400 to any other platform.

Cheers! Hans