http://www.linuxtoday.com/high_performance/2009101000535NWBZ
> "My co-worker, Tim, explained that our company, a major software vendor, is > seeing its mainframe workforce rapidly approaching the age of retirement. Tim > said IBM and most other firms whose businesses depend on mainframes are also > dealing with this industry-wide problem. > > "Since the 1980¹s, PC¹s and UNIX machines were supposed to have taken over the > computing world, relegating mainframes to the scrap heap alongside rotary-dial > telephones, suitcase-size boom boxes, and Plymouth Reliants. Indeed, most > mainframes from that era have been consigned to the scrap heap only to be > replaced by bigger and faster mainframes. > > "Today the number of mainframes is estimated to be 10,000. Since 2000, the > processing power of mainframes has quadrupled in terms of MIPS. According to > IBM, the top 25 world banks run mainframes, 80% of the world¹s corporate data > resides or originates on mainframes, and 71% of global Fortune 500 companies > are mainframe clients."
