Timothy Sipples wrote:
Radoslaw Skorupka writes:
Can I ask where are new customers of this very
affordable platform?
Many (though not all) are in the developing world. That's why it's called
"developing," I guess. :-) Some places need new credit card processing
systems (to pick an example) because they don't have them. Other places
have been processing credit cards for decades, and if they are growing it's
"horizontally" (adding functions, optimizing, etc. -- "new workloads").
But the OP wrote:
---------
But Tim, there *aren't* any "smaller" mainframe customers any more (at
least not in the USA).
---------
I would guess the focus here was on jobs, plain and simple. Maybe
installed mainframe MIPS are increasing, but jobs, especially for
z/OS staff, appear to be declining (esp. in the US, but some on
the list have mentioned similar trends in Europe).
To use a somewhat flawed analogy, President Obama recently announced that a
company in the U.S. intends to build 2 new nuclear power plants. That's not
so impressive when you consider that China alone has about 50 new nuclear
plants either under construction or in the advanced planning stage.
Of course, when a few of the new mainframe customers choose to reveal
themselves (HDFC, BC Card...) there are about 20 posts questioning reality
and another 20 concerning the pros and cons of international trade (or
something like that). :-) Also, I think it's safe to say IBM would always
like more new mainframe customers.
I'm sure. But clearly they would prefer them to be "Linux on z"
mainframe customers. I say "clearly" just reflecting the crazy
pricing wrt zIIPs and zAAPs and zNALC which provide lower prices
for use of Java, WebSphere, DB2 etc. than for existing apps in COBOL,
Assembler, PL/I, and the like. This seems like a good place to get
your customers in preparation for migrating off z/OS because I
suspect apps are easier to port to Linux if they are of the Java /
WebSphere / DB2 ilk than if they are in the COBOL / IMS / CICS style.
All that said, I should repeat that it's long past time mainframe pricing
perceptions, here and elsewhere, caught up with reality.
It would help if IBM would tell the story, then, wouldn't it?
An old thread: IBM doesn't seem interested in winning the hearts and minds
battle for the mainframe (esp. z/OS), based on lack of articles and ads
promoting and raising awareness of z/OS or even z Series.
A strong campaign would go a long way towards getting perceptions
"caught up with reality", eh?
- - - - -
Timothy Sipples
IBM Consulting Enterprise Architect for
New, Advanced, and/or Innovative Solutions (VCT)
Based in Singapore & Serving the "Growth Markets"
E-Mail: timothy.sipp...@us.ibm.com
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