🚀 go-pugleaf

> I guess, what I'm wondering is, "how unclonable are the new IBM's?".

This question seems to assume that the new System/2 is supposed to be
"unclonable".  I've read probably a dozen different reports on System/2,
and none of them suggest that they are uncloneable.

There seems to be a wide-spread misunderstanding that System/2 is supposed
to be a new generation of PCs.  On the contrary, System/2 is a new
generation of 3270-type computer terminals (and here we thought IBM was
just being nice when they developed SNA LU6.2).  Unlike all previous members
of the 3270 family, System/2 has some stand-alone computing capability
(we shouldn't be surprised that it is PC-DOS compatible).

What gives IBM the strong edge here is that they essentially monopolize the
mainframe end of the communications software (VTAM, BTAM, TCAM), and they
have a very strong presence in the terminal controller area as well (3274,
3276).  Communications software *has* to be compatible with the software
at the other end, so IBM will have a significant club in beating off anyone
else who would develop System/2 communications software.

Since IBM will be developing all of the S/2 comm software, they certainly
will have no incentive to avoid using any quirks of the S/2 hardware that
they know of ;-).

-- Doug Pardee -- Edge Computer Corp. -- Scottsdale, Arizona