System iNetwork

The 515-525 boxes are considered handicapped by brand new prospect customers who never had iSeries exposure before. They're considered handicapped because they don't run Windows natively, just green screen, and there's no abundance of (modern) apps to choose from — despite what IBM says — compared to the Windows world.

I heard one small shop say they were aware of the legendary rock solid performance of the iSeries, but so do perform their Windows 2003 server machines — the days of the obsolete Windows NT4 with the almost daily outage and reboot have gone by. They told me they would consider an iSeries machine, but in the view of its (perceived) handicap, only at a price that is at least 25 percent lower than a comparable Windows server.

Stability, rock solid or otherwise, is not a selling point. No one is ever going to buy a computer because it is claimed to be rock solid stable.

Security is critical, and every enterprise should be considering the iSeries for cost effective secure performance.

That iSeries doesn't run Windows GUI programs is, as usual, a red herring. Neither does a Windows server when serving hundreds of users as an iSeries does. Just because Windows is also a client OS as well as a server OS, and iSeries is only a server OS, is irrelevant.

But in the end, companies choose software and a computer that runs it, not a computer and software that runs on it. Sure, if they already have a computer they'll choose additional software that runs on it, but no one is going to choose an iSeries for any reason and then look for software that runs on it.

Companies bought the iSeries family midrange line to run cost effective enterprise software. The real problem is that the market became saturated with a mass refresh for Y2k, while also downsizing in traditional U.S. markets such as manufacturing.

The iSeries and iSeries packages, which mostly all now have functional, aesthetic browser interfaces, will still compete for enterprise business when a solution is sought.

But the new 515-525 cost performance will help greatly in making the case for those iSeries software packages being considered.

rd

Why is it Windows people are always trying to say they are 'as good as' an iSeries?

Kind of like comparing a Pickup Truck (a PC) to a 18 Wheeler (the iSeries)? I've seen some customized nice looking, fast pickups on the road, but they are still a pickup truck with limitations. If I need to move a lot of something efficiently and safely, I'd get a big truck (not some souped up customized pickup).

I would never recommend my company run their business critical applications (no matter how pretty) on a machine that some kid in a trailer park can hack his way into. Instead I'll keep my business critical applications running on a secure, robust platform (the iSeries).

By the way I disagree with the comment "gone are the days of the almost daily outage and reboots" of PC based systems. Our PC Group is always in the office late at night and weekends, needing to reboot this, or apply a security patch for that. While our iSeries Operations guys are home at night, snug in there beds, with visions of hackers stopped dead in their tracks.

After being in the industry WELL over 20 years, and hearing RPG and midrange systems are an old dying technology, it is strange to me how many major companies rely on that so called "out-dated" technology for their business critical applications. I am keeping my critical eggs in my iSeries basket. PC's and PC Networks have their place — word processing, spreadsheets, and more importantly, connecting users to a real box like the iSeries, where the real transaction processing takes place, quickly and securely.

SMc

The point that stability or rock solid performance was a selling point was never made. It was just an example of a non-iSeries shop who knew at least what an iSeries was or still is famous for. Most non-iSeries shops know "nada" about iSeries or will give you an answer when asked like "Gee, is this some kind of Univac system from the sixties? Does it still use key punched cards? And at what speed?"

IBM is really gonna have a though time selling these entry boxes. They won't face an iSeries manager mouth watering about the next model coming out, no, they will face a crowd that grew up with Windows, who on the other hand, are not addicted to the Windows/Wintel platform. Instead, I find most of them are definitely down to earth, very concerned about their business and willing to consider other IT options, and if IBM plays its cards right, they might sell more than a 2 digits number. I have a feeling the 515-525 boxes may break the door open with non-iSeries shops if the entry price is pegged another 50 percent lower.

PS: On a side note, the point was made by some that Windows servers never serve hundreds of clients simultaneously. May I refer to Citrix Server of Windows Terminal Server. Please do your homework before making unsubstantiated statements.

SMc, you missed the point entirely. The point is how to sell 515-525 boxes to NEW, NON ISERIES, SMB customers. How to convince SMB's, having less than 100-250 employees, in the deal, that is the question. Will IBM succeed? IBM is not that short sighted, they would like to let the platform survive for the next 10 to 20 years, especially after the aging and faithfull iSeries crowd has gone into retirement, so to them new blood is a matter of life or death.

It comes back to who and what is trying to sell an AS/400 solution. In case you weren't around, the predecessors of the AS/400 (the S/34, S/36, and S/38) were targeted specifically at 100 - 250 employee companies (or even less). Unfortunately it seems that IBM has lost its desire to court those kinds of companies directly, instead relying on business partners to do the legwork.

Back when the AS/400 was first announced, I used to work for an AS/400 business partner. We used to have IBMers in the office all the time, and most of the time accompanied one (or more) of them on sales calls. I don't think I've seen an actual IBM (employee) rep for over 10 years. Maybe that's the real problem.

To suggest that System i is handicapped because it doesn't run Windows natively illustrates just how misinformed the buying public might be. i5/OS is a far better alternative to Windows on the server side. You can stick Windows on a client if you must, but I don't want to expose the business to all of its vulnerabilities at the server.

And if the folks that are making these decisions really are down to earth, very concerned about their businesses and willing to consider other IT options, then they'll listen to the i5/OS story, understand that it delivers measurably more value than Windows and won't be looking for a 25-50 percent lower price.

Oh . . . and there are plenty of robust applications available for i5/OS. And, remarkably enough, I can keep adding applications to the same server without sacrificing stability. Meanwhile, you could spend the next decade trying to reach agreement on what it means to be "modern".