This is totally amazing to me: There is z/Linux and not z/BSD because way back at the dawn of time there was a lawsuit involving 4.4BSD and so GNU/Linux became the flagship open source operating system (when Linux came out it was a toy, and BSD was a serious software product.) Now, despite the fact that Microsoft has been legally embattled for a decade and a half, and despite countless rulings against them by the EU, NOBODY seems worried that Microsoft's lgal troubles could spell trouble for Windows support down the line.
If you ask me, the only Microsoft product with real long-term potential is xbox. Right now Microsoft has a choice. Rework M$ Office such that it will happily and effectively inter-operate with other office productivity suites, or stop selling M$ Office in Europe. Difficult decision, since an inter-operable M$ Office is an M$ Office your company can finally afford to replace with OpenOffice.org, and not selling office in Europe will lead to a slow but steady loss of market-share that will have the same effect. Microsoft doesn't know how to write software for professionals. Their best stuff has always been targeted at people who want their computer as easy to use (and as functional) as a toaster oven. Their ongoing participation in the enterprise software world is almost sure to end as the various anti-trust proceedings and other efforts to punish their obscenely anti-competitive business practices pick up steam. I realize that betting against M$ isn't popular but I cannot predict anything positive for their professional tools. Xbox, on the other hand, well... if xbox were a publicly traded subsidiary that's where my money would be. And for the record, I own exactly NO M$ stock. Erik Johnson On Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 2:35 PM, Huegel, Thomas <thue...@kable.com> wrote: > My two cents. I worked for two companies that bought the bs about ERP and > WINDOZE replacing the mainframe.. Company one declared bankrupcy and went out > of buisness after spending 50 million dollars (some $35 mil over budget) on > the project. Company number two hit the budget ($20 mil) and now about five > years later rumor has it they are seriously looking at a z/10 and z/LINUX to > run the ERP software.. > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Linux on 390 Port [mailto:linux-...@vm.marist.edu]on Behalf Of > Dodds, Jim > Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 2:21 PM > To: LINUX-390@VM.MARIST.EDU > Subject: Re: Old IBM Mainframe - Still Useful? > > > "It's just a PC we can buy another, you know PCs are cheap. Hell they > are running Windows we can just hire college grads that will save us a > bundle of money on staff. As for reliability everyone else is buying one > do you think that if it didn't work they would buy it" says the pointy > haired boss. > > Those are all good points Henry, and we have informed management but > they think this is the best way to go. What else can I say, the vendor > tells them that 100s to 1000s of universities that use their product use > windows servers and they work beautifully. Hell as part of the deal the > vendor will set it up for you and they will document for your staff when > we turn it over to them. Of course if problems come up that your staff > cant resolve, they can provide service to resolve for you of course for > a price tag. > > Jim Dodds > Systems Programmer > Kentucky State University > 400 East Main Street > Frankfort, Ky 40601 > 502 597 6114 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Linux on 390 Port [mailto:linux-...@vm.marist.edu] On Behalf Of > Henry E Schaffer > Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 3:03 PM > To: LINUX-390@VM.MARIST.EDU > Subject: Re: Old IBM Mainframe - Still Useful? > > Dodds, Jim wrote: >> ... So now we are planning on spending close to $200,000 on Dell >> hardware and Microsoft server software. ... > > Has any looked at reliability? Some hardware/sofware combinations are > boringly reliable, some not so. Does anyone care? > > --henry schaffer > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or > visit > http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit > http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit > http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@vm.marist.edu with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
