Re: Staying current on releases? (was: Are there any System i sites on the Internet that offer accounts?)

Item 1 of 7: High software transfer fees.
I could go back and forth on this. I think that when I found that
management dropped support on the package in the first place I would have
started floating my resume. Because as soon as they did, you knew you
were going to get into just this situation.
However, beware of deep discounts, or "just pay the maintenance" software.
What that typically means is that their goal is to milk the cash cow of
maintenance and assume they'll never make any new sales so just keep
raising the purchase price to get that x% of list for maintenance. No new
sales translates into high maintenance dollars for little to no
improvements in the software.

Item 2 of 7: Third party maintenance.
I was always disgusted with third party maintenance fees. Charging x% of
IBM, when IBM inflates maintenance on older machines to show you how much
you can save by purchasing new, doesn't make sense. For those people who
feel uncomfortable on relying on Ebay for spare parts, or a spare machine
in the back room, perhaps a Time and Materials contract is in order. I'd
be careful of that "best effort" clause.

Item 3 of 7: Benefits of staying current.
Other people have already spoke this quite eloquently.

Item 4 of 7: Products that prevent upgrades.
What products that are running could possibly stop an upgrade from V5R3 to
V5R4? If it is because the vendor STILL has not upgraded, then you're a
fool to stay with that vendor. What part of the OS change killed their
product?

Item 5 of 7: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
They just don't know it's broke. They don't know of all the ptf's that
have fixed issues that have tightened security, etc. Or, they keep
redefining "broke" to eliminate something that does pertain to them. My
wife doesn't buy the idea that I haven't fixed the water in our camper
because I prefer the rustic life when we're camping (it's actually because
I don't want to haul that blue cart around even more.)
After awhile, a work around becomes a reach around - if you are even that
lucky.

Item 6 of 7: The older model gets the job done.
Kinda like the house with cardboard and duct tape for windows. With the
back door leaning against the outside wall after it fell off. And the
dead cat on the front porch waiting for junior to bury it. And no paint
left on the wood. But, by golly, that satellite dish looks shiny and new.

Item 7 of 7: ISV's
7a: ISV's afraid to walk away from older stuff. Recently I talked to an
ISV who recently made some sales to V3R2 machines. Floored me. I, too,
was under the belief that anyone running software that old had their
checkbook locked up tight.
However why should ISVs hold their newer releases back to support older
releases?
7b: Given a choice between a vendor who supports V2R3 and a vendor who's
software passes ANZOBJCVN and won't leave me high and dry for V6R1 I'll
take the latter any time.
7c: Vendors who claim they only support current versions of i5/os but
compile their latest fixes to a target release of V4R5 and no
observability, just really roil me.


Rob Berendt