🚀 go-pugleaf

In <5gnuil$1hb4$1@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net>, baxte17@ibm.net  (Kevin J Baxter) writes:
  ...  long interesting posting ...  please see the original.
>I was hoping to spark these sorts of responses when I posted this article.
>
>In defense of IBM, ...

>
>As most of us know, the vast majority of this gross revenue is derived
>from IBM's mainframe operations (S/390, MVS, MVS/ES, MVS,VSE, VS,
>and whatever other letter combinations you can put together).

The mainframe revenues, especially MVS/ESA (OS/390), DB2, CICS, are very
good. The old IBM used to compete by selling hardware at incredible 
markups and giving away the OS.  That ended about 1970.  The new IBM 
essentially gives away the hardware and sells the software at incredible
markups.  Essentially gives away????  Compare a full house 1970
data center, 360/91, outboard channels, 1403 printers, hundreds of 2314
disks, dozens of 2400 tape drives.  Enough computer power to run a 
medium sized national government, the food stamps for a consortium of
states, or all the processing for a Bank of America or Chrysler.

All that hardware cost tens of millions of dollars and was run by free
operating system software, compilers, TP software.

Fast forward to today, that kind of hardware power costs a fraction of 
the tens of millions but IBM's mainframe revenues have not slumped. 
While slashing prices on easy to duplicate hardware, they have shifted 
the cost to their impossible to duplicate software.

Competition in the hardware business has turned IBM into a software 
company.

>
>Oh, yeah:  the ISSC, which is IBM's Global Services Division:  It brought
>in excess of $23 billion last year.  ISSC is IBM's fastest growing division.
>This group is known to push OS/2 just because it's IBM technology (I wish
>there were more groups like this at Big Blue!)
>

and into a consulting company.  In either case, the value provided is 
expensive intellectual work not banging out nuts and bolts.   ISSC may 
be pushing OS/2 because it works.

>
>Then there's the Hursley (England) research groups. (Mike Cowlisaw (sp)
>is there).

Yes, Hursley is a bunch of software loonies.  I still wonder about the 
PL/I X (for optimizer not to be mistaken for PL/X) compiler.  I used to 
crank code on Assembler H and PL/I X and the PL/I compiler seemed, felt 
faster than the assembler.  How could that be?  How did Hursley write a 
compiler that compiled faster than an assembler could assemble?  And for
a language like PL/I which is, well, shockingly complex.

There are nooks and crannies in PL/I that are great fun to explore. 
iSUB is one, AREAs are another.

>
>Like wise, Big Blue has a group is Boulder, CO.  I'm not sure waht they do.
>

That's because they're not sure what they do.  They think they have 
something to do with printers, federal contracting, and the internet. 
Given that Lexmark and IBM Federal Systems Division have escaped, 
Boulder is a mystery, it's IBM's area 51.

>Then there's is that group up in Redmond, WA, helping MS operating systems
>run on IBM hardware.  Strangely, I'm not angry over this...
>
That's because you've figured out that they're there to keep an eye on 
MS.

>There are many other IBM groups and divisions.  I just can't remember them.
>

You've done a nice job, pull a stock holders report for more info. 

  ...

>Let's not foget this!
>
>Sadly, I feel AIX will be the next IBM technology to get the cold shoudler, only
>because IBM managers have no real vision or focus for it.  I love AIX.  I love OS/2.

Don't worry about AIX.  There's the SP2 and anyway AIX seems to be a 
chameleon.  I'm waiting for someone to slap the workplace shell onto 
AIX.

>
>IBM simply isn't in the business to sell software.
>
>IBM sells hardware, and they are *VERY* good at it.

Today, the edge between hardware and software is very blurry. Take a 
look at http://www.funsoft.com, the name tells the story, fundamental 
software.

>
>If we want IBM to better support OS/2, then PSP must 
>sell its own hardware (much like AIX is sold with RS/6000s, OS/400s
>is sold with AS/400 and OS/390 is sold with S/390s).
>

Not a bad idea.

>If we want IBM to better support OS/2, then we must buy OS/2 software
>(from Stardock, Sundial, SofTouch, SPG, StarDivision, DUX and, yes,
>even Lotus).
>

Another fine idea.  Let me chat it up with the OS/2 ISVs and see about 
running an April, tax refund, OS/2 sale.  Something where everyone wins.

>
>IBM suffers from a lack of software vision and focus.  It has no software
>strategy.  IBM's software effort is like a rudderless ship.
>
>$70 billion.  That's alot of *HARDWARE* money!
>

Hardware, software, the edges are very blurry.  It's intellectual 
property and the product of high quality thinking..

>-Kevin


Cory Hamasaki  Kiyo Design, Inc     http://www.kiyoinc.com
HHResearch Co. 11 Annapolis St.     OS/2 Webstore & Newsletter
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