Re: OS/400 on a Sun unix -- MIDRANGE-L

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 17:18:47 -0400
 "Adam Lang" <aalang@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Yes, the OS which handles devices.  You go from needign
> to support 10 piecs
> of oen type of hardware to 1000, you are introducing
> issues.

And benifit.  May as well use a abucus for everything
then... No issues except broken strings and beads all over
the floor.

> 
> Ok, fine, but you would have to make the OS/400
> comparable in price.  Looks
> like the target market is $0 - $700.  You better make
> some major sales to
> make it worth it. 

I believe in my original post I said "around $500" and
stated it would be lost of lower priced sales compared to
few high priced sales.

> The Unix market was small till Linux?  You are goign to
> throw out that
> TOTALLY inaccurate statement as your support? 

Small comparably, if you believe the numbers linux
supporters and magazines put out about it's use.

> And what do you think handles the driver subsystem? The
> OS.  The OS has to
> be strenghtened not jsut against bad drivers, but jsut
> bad hardware too as
> well as hardware that conflicts with other peoples
> hardware.  You ever build
> your own PC?  There are a lto of motherboards out there
> that won't play nice
> with some companies RAM, for starters and it can send
> your OS flaky.

I've built quite a few home PCs... never had a problem.  I
know how to research products and to stay away from $2 ram
on ebay.  There are many ways around this problem, such as
only supporting "OS/400 suppoted" hardware and drivers.

They already do that with 3rd party software at IBM.  Call
up, say your SMTP server isn't working.  Tell them you're
using MAILTOOL and they'll say "contact the author of
MAILTOOL" and hang up on you most of the time.  (From many
experiences here).

> Apples and oranges man, apples and oranges.  You even
> read what a lot of the
> security holes are and patches you are applying?
>  Internet Explorer based
> stuff.  OS/400 has no real user itnerface security issues
> to worry about
> from browsing the internet.

You're correct.  What I'm asking is for the choice of an
apple or an orange from IBM.  Is that so wrong?  

Any machine connected to the internet has security issues,
they just haven't been found.  IE has been a major problem,
but also outlook, and other software.  If the iSeries had
these features, we'd find the problems there too.  

More features = more security risk.  That's a given.  I'll
take that risk.

> I didn't say it was impossible.  I said I highly HIGHLY
> doubt there is any
> cost return in doing such a venture. Oh and your beloved
> Windows is not
> cross platform.

It's easy to take the path of least resistance.  But let's
assume it's a slight possibility.  These types of view
won't help it move any further.

I don't care if Windows isn't cross platform.  I can
install it on any PC I want and it will work.  I don't have
to pay 10 times the price to buy the hardware from M$ to
make it run either.

> Nothing wrong with wanting it, but I can't see how IBM
> would ever make money
> on it.

Not with people saying things like that... it will push it
further to the back of everyone's mind, and especially
those who can make it happen.

Brad