Roger,
If IBM's current mainframe revenue stream was to dwindle to one twentieth
of its current, how long do you think we would continue to see the improvements
we have seen in both harware and software in recent years? Just to maintain
current revenue, they would have to increase market share twenty fold.
Estimates are that there are somewhere between 6 and 10 thousand z/OS shops,
worldwide. Taking the smaller number, do you actually think z/SO could grow to
120,000 paying installations?
I'm not a fan of IBM's current pricing strategy, as I do feel it is way to
complicated, and overpriced. But 1/20th of the current revenue? I think we
would all be taking in each other's wash to find work. They could not stay in
the business. My .02, for what its worth.
--Dave Day
There are plenty of modern machines that *can* run OS/390. Here's just one
example: http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/x/hardware/rack/x3650m2/index.html
The IBM x3650 M2 with Hercules software is quite capable of running OS/390.
What's more, it will outperform the 2098-A02 in terms of MIPS, floor space,
and energy consumption, for about one twentieth the price. Yes, that's just
5% of the price of a small z10 BC including DASD.
So if IBM cannot meet the customer's stated requirement (which was to
continue running OS/390 on newer hardware) the reason is certainly not
technical. It's because of the artificial barriers which IBM's software
licensing policy puts in their way.
Regards,
Roger Bowler
Hercules "the people's mainframe"
http://www.openmainframe.org
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