The way I see Mark's argument is that it is a lot cheaper for IBM to make 1 processor book, with a set number of processors running at a set speed than to make 130 different combinations of speeds and numbers of engines. I don't need an 8 way, full speed machine to run my business. If I were to have to pay for that size machine to run my business, management would have gotten off the mainframe years ago. As it is, IBM sold me a really knee-capped machine (z9-bc) with a single engine active, running at about 1/3 the speed it is capable of, and it was cheaper for IBM to kneecap a full size box and sell it to me at the size I needed than it would have been for them to build me a box that was exactly the size I needed.
Some call this a gimmick, others call it good business practices. Po-taa-to, po-tah-to. Rex -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tom Marchant Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 2:47 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: IBM countersues Neon over zPrime accelerator On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 13:25:52 -0600, Mark Zelden wrote: >On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 12:50:02 -0600, Tom Marchant wrote: > >> >>We can disagree about this. >> >>... if they are able to make money selling the systems with >>kneecapped engines, it is a marketing gimmick to sell the exact same >>hardware that is allowed to run full speed. >> > >I see what you are both saying. I guess it's the "gimmick" part I don't >really agree with. Finding ways to manufacture something cheaper but >still giving the consumer a product for the same price that does the same >thing or better (if you consider the technology dividend in the specific >case of system z) doesn't seem like a gimmick. It's smart business. I don't follow what you are saying here. Of course it is good to find ways to manufacture something less expensively. The kneecapped machines are not less expensive to manufacture though. >In other words, to the end user, what's the difference in the inside parts >changed and I am still getting a good deal. Would you feel better if >IBM manufactured **130 different engine types for the z10 and you got >the one rated at the MSU level you get today? No. That would be absurd. What is the benefit of 130 different capacity settings? Only one that I can think of: Software costs. -- Tom Marchant ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
