Re: Software Vendors (And US too) - A small rant

[Trevor Perry <trevor@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Jim, Thanks for your support for my "rants".

There have been 4 rebrands in the last 25 years.
http://blog.angustheitchap.com/?p=475


Hardly "often" and hardly "whatever it is this week". It is time to put
that one away now.




On 12/12/12 7:45 AM, "Jim Oberholtzer" <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Sorry Robert but that's a poor excuse for not using the correct
> terminology with your customers regardless of what they call it.  If
> they are confused, politely inform them.   And for the record, the name
> has not really changed all that much when compared to other computer
> products on the market.  If you would like more information, use google
> to find several of Trevor's rants about the topic.
>
> Jim Oberholtzer
> Chief Technical Architect
> Agile Technology Architects
>
>
> On 12/11/2012 8:31 PM, Robert Munday wrote:
> > But with IBM changing the name as often as they have and do, how is an
> > independent rent-a-programmer like me supposed to keep up?  I still have
> > clients who call it "the 400".  They pay the bills so they are free to
> > call it anything they desire.  I personally use "iSeries".  My most
> > recent client uses the term "iSeries".  If I were selling software in
> > the example you site, then I would need to know and use the "IBM Name Of
> > The Week"... whatever that is this week.  I personally don't know.
> >
> >
> >
> > Robert Munday
> > Munday Software Consultants
> > Montgomery, AL
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: DrFranken<midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > Sent: Dec 11, 2012 6:29 PM
> > > > To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > Subject: Re: Software Vendors (And US too) - A small rant
> > > >
> > > > I know of a company including several persons there personally
> > > including
> > > > the person who made the mistake. They were asked by a huge potential
> > > > customer what their systems ran on. The response: "AS/400". The
> > > customer
> > > > immediately and finally closed discussions with: "Yeah well IBM quit
> > > > making those over a decade ago so you clearly don't have the ability
> > > to
> > > > support our needs with that." Game over. No explanations,
> > > backpedaling,
> > > > clarification, could help. The potential customer believed it was a
> > > > mindset.  What does the company really use? IBM i 7.1 on POWER7.
> > > Oops.
> > > > Names matter.
> > > >
> > > >       - Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis
> > > >
> > > > On 12/11/2012 5:06 PM, Jim Oberholtzer wrote:
> > > > > >  Note to software vendors:  If you want me to consider your
> > > > software for
> > > > > >  the IBM i operating environment running on Power Systems, please
> > > > do not
> > > > > >  call it, iSeries, AS/400, System i, or my personal favorite
> > > > System/38.
> > > > > >  Clearly if you don't know the name of the system your working on I
> > > > > >  cannot trust your software.  Most of the vendors monitor this
> > > > list and
> > > > > >  don't hand me the line:  "That's what our customers call it....."
> > > > Don't
> > > > > >  correct the customer but always use the correct terminology when
> > > > you are
> > > > > >  speaking and guess what, they will start using it too....
> > > > > >
> > > > > >  What brought this rant on?  Three calls today from vendors asking
> > > > if I
> > > > > >  would like to talk about their iSeries or AS/400 products.....
> > > > Geesh..
> > > > > >  Now I'm starting to sound a bit like Trevor without the
> > > > accent.....
> > > > > >  I'll be quiet now.
> > > >
> > > > -- 
> -- 
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