The break up of IBM was going full tilt when I worked there in 1978. Back then it was being discussed in response to all the antitrust legislation but had dragged on through the judicial process for years.
I was part of General Business Group back then and we were quite excited at the thought of going head to head against the DP group (mainframes). Of course it never happened. When I left IBM my manager asked what I was going to work on. I told him, "micro computers, non-IBM stuff, XENIX, CP/M, Apple IIs, Cromemco, Altos, Northstar". He said, "I don't ever see IBM getting into those markets". A couple of years later the PC was launched and IBM still didn't get it. And yesterday I was solving CICS/ Debug Tool problems on the CICS group. The more things change, the more they stay the same. On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 12:10 AM, Anne & Lynn Wheeler <l...@garlic.com> wrote: > gerh...@valley.net (Gerhard Postpischil) writes: >> Unless one is in the possession of detailed data, unlikely to become >> public, it is difficult to judge why a company makes decisions. It is >> doubtful that clinical kainophobia is pertinent; more likely factors >> are cash flow, risk aversion, sales projections, and other >> non-technical issues. For a successful company like DEC, technical >> aspects were the least of their problems, as they had exemplary staff, >> including some ex-IBMers. This is why I conclude that their collapse >> and sale was due to poor management, even if that doesn't provide any >> specifics. > > re: > > re: > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013h.html#76 DataPower XML Appliance and RACF > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013h.html#78 IBM commitment to academia > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#2 IBM commitment to academia > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#4 IBM commitment to academia > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#5 IBM commitment to academia > > over in a.f.c. there are quite a few former DEC people ... and while > they don't criticize the influx of people from the vm370 burlington mall > development group (at the very start of vax/vms development) ... they > don't have any kind words for the former IBM middle managers. recent > mention shutdown of vm370 burlington mall development group (i.e. name > comes from location of the bldg. in burlington mall ... when the group > outgrew the space in 545 tech sq. ... they move out to the vacant former > SBS building ... SBS having gone to CDC as part of legal settlement). > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013i.html#5 IBM commitment to academia > > more details about DEC ... Compaq then bought DEC (there have been lots > of comments that Compaq wanted DEC's field service division) ... then HP > buys Compaq. Just recently comment that HP has decommitted OpenVMS > and hoping that HP would release source of open use. > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Equipment_Corporation > > Note that as the Time magazine article details ... IBM only narrowly > missed the same fate with the perparation for breaking up into the "baby > blues" ... 28Dec1992 ... downfall oof IBM "How IBM Was Left Behind" > http://web.archive.org/web/20101120231857/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977353,00.html > > we had left early in the year ... 31July1992 coincidentally the same day > they shutdown all the scientific centers (had been part of the > sales&marketing division and major interface to academia). old email > reference > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2013g.htmL#email920722 > > note that the split up into the 13 "baby blues" ... was a lot more > complicated that one might thought. Early 1993 (before board brought in > new executive that reversed the breakup and resurrects the company). We > were invited in to do detail examination of all the contractual > arraignments ... one business unit might have contract with outside > supplier ... but other business units would be relying on the same > contract. All of those implicit business arrangements were going > to have to be explicitly recognized > > -- > virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- Wayne V. Bickerdike ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
