Re: IBM investment in i -- MIDRANGE-L

Trevor,

You have some things right here, but other things...

Yes, like you and many others, I am seriously
concerned over the future of "i". Do I sometimes
present a narrow view in my "attacks"? Usually a
weapon is more effective the more narrowly it is
targeted.

Where you are a little off target is with "it ~seems~
like he hates all IBMers equally and that he thinks
all IBMers are painted with a brush of ignorance
and/or complicity."

That couldn't be further from the truth. Some of the
most fiercely loyal, dedicated and proud people I know
are (or were) in IBM Rochester. (I wouldn't want to
leave out all those I know in, and from, IBM Canada
here). They are/were fiercely loyal to the products
that Rochester produced. Dedicated to making them the
best they could be. Proud of what they accomplished.
People of integrity. Honest and honourable people.

Unfortunately the further you go up the food chain in
IBM the less this seems to apply. I'm not by any
means saying here that those qualities don't apply to
some/many of the IBM executives too. However, the
closer you get to Armonk the less I could attribute
those qualities to some of them.

Armonk has never shown anywhere near the same level of
loyalty and dedication to Rochester's products. I
doubt there is a feeling of pride amongst many of them
for the many accomplishments Rochester has made over
the years. To this day I still doubt they understand
the fierce loyalty and dedication to this platform
from its own employees and from its customers. Or
maybe they do - and they just don't care. Who cares
what's best for the customer. Services revenue is
where it's at. What place do loyalty, dedication,
integrity and honesty have in the business world of
today?

...Neil

--- Trevor Perry <trevor@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Nathan,

In defense of Neil, I think his focus is a concern
over the future of the
IBM i operating system. This is a concern for
everyone who has a stake here.
However, I don't think Neil has quite the narrow
view that you suggest.

Certainly, he ~presents~ a very narrow view under
the approach that the
emperor has no clothes, and you should tell said
emperor. And some of his
observations can be lumped under a category of "the
emperor is wearing
clothes I don't like, I better tell him he is
naked". And, from reading
Neil's rants, it ~seems~ like he hates all IBMers
equally and that he thinks
all IBMers are painted with a brush of ignorance
and/or complicity.

He has shown us a one-sided perspective here, but I
think he is not that
narrow in real life. Of course, it IS hard to read
between the lines on this
one-dimensional forum, and Neil has certainly been
arguing his "emperor"
case strongly.

Maybe Neil can point out some of the things he LIKES
about IBM, IBMers, and
IBM i? That might remove the Quixotic tag you have
added to his name?

Trevor

On 5/8/08 10:59 AM, "Nathan Andelin"
<nandelin@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Neil,

The itjungle article titled "IBM Changes Name Back
to AS/400, Promises

Return to Glory, TV Ads" was just an April Fools
joke. It appears that
you

took the article way too seriously! The article's

author
(Cervantes) should

have given you a clue that it was only a spoof.

Cervantes was actually the

author of "Don Quixote". Don Quixote's mind

became so myopically focused on

fictional tales of knightly intrigue

that he began interpreting every event

of ordinary life in the context

of his fictional readings, and provided a

premise for dozens of

hillarious stories of how Don Quixote drew erroneous

conclusions about

the people and events he faced.

It appears that your view

of IBM i has become so myopically focused,

that you're drawing the erroneous

conclusion that it's fate is the same

as OS/2.

The cure may not be simple,

but it may help if you were to install Zend

core, or one of the other new

technologies that run under IBM i, and see

if it broadens your view. You

somehow need to get past CPF.

Nathan.

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