IMHO, IBM is making a foolish tactical blunder. Apparently they've missed the obvious lessons that Linux and Java have taught about freely available software. If it were my "dog", I'd come up with a limited-capacity version of z/OS that runs on Windows and Linux systems, or even as a native Intel operating system, and make it freely available. Sure, it would cost quite a bit up front and you'd have smaller businesses using it "illegally", but it would help secure future generations of z/OSers. Give it to the technical masses and the corporations will follow suit because of the installed intellectual base. IBM is making money from Linux so it seems they already know this works. Scaling a business-oriented OS like z/OS down and making price competitive with other Intel OSes would give smaller companies a broader choice. Most didn't make an informed choice. They are using what they already know. As they grow and their needs expand, it will make it that much easier to move into a mainframe-class machine down the road. If all they have is Windows or Linux and grow through server sprawl, what are they going to choose when their server farm gets too large? It sure won't be to a mainframe! It'll be to faster, denser server boxes with TCO cost 2x of an equivalent mainframe, but having no experience with a mainframe, coupled with all the gloom and doom pontifications about mainframes going away, they're not even going to let the IBM sales rep in the door. "Win their hearts and their minds and bodies will follow." So simple, yet so overlooked.--- On Tue 12/05, Pinnacle < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote:From: Pinnacle [mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 13:43:27 -0500Subject: Re: IBM sues maker of Intel-based Mainframe clones----- Original Message ----- From: "Anne & Lynn Wheeler" Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm-mainTo: Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 11:55 AMSubject: IBM sues maker of Intel-based Mainframe clones>> IBM sues maker of Intel-based Mainframe clones> http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=BKMIXSNECXW0OQSNDLSCKHA?articleID=196601610>What a chilling development, especially on the heels of IBM's refusal to renew the FLEX-ES patent licenses. Soon the z9 BC will be the only entry-level machine available for commercial use. Unless IBM and PSI reach a settlement, this lawsuit puts PSI out of business (unless the venture capitalists can keep it afloat for the 10 years it will take to decide the patent lawsuit). What a mess. Any chance we'd ever see a personal license for z/OS probably just vanished.Regards,Tom Conley ----------------------------------------------------------------------For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFOSearch the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
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