System iNetwork

October 2007

October 30, 2007 11:38 AM

Two Minutes with RPG Expert Paul Tuohy

I had the opportunity to chat with one of the System i world's top RPG experts recently -- Paul Tuohy, who is the CEO of ComCon, a midrange consultancy company based in Dublin, Ireland. He's worked in the development of IBM Midrange applications since the 70s, and in previous jobs was the IT manager for Kodak Ireland Ltd. and the technical director of Precision Software Ltd. He's also an author, teacher, and one of the core speakers at the RPG & DB2 Summit conference.

Oh, one more thing: I must admit, we did talk for a bit longer than two minutes.

CM: What are the big issues when it comes to RPG these days? Some people have been saying, for instance, that IBM has left RPG to die, but what are you seeing out there in terms of what IBM's been doing, what developers are doing, and what they need?

PT: I don't think IBM has in any way left RPG to die. The work they've done on RPG since V3R1 with all the RPG IV stuff has been quite phenonmenal. So in terms of IBM letting RPG go, I don't think that's the case. I think the biggest problem has been with us as programmers getting to grips with it and adopting it. It's now that we're starting to see people taking up on things like ILE. It was only four or five years ago that we began to see the uptake on RPG IV. And what we're starting to see now is . . . a lot more interest in the ILE side, so these are people who've been working with RPG IV for a few years and are now starting to move into the new stuff like gro and dip into ILE. To me, that's been the biggest drag for RPG over all these these years, and that is just how slow people have been to adopt it and begin using all the great stuff that's in the language.

CM: That's a double-edged sword for IBM. I mean, the company has done a remarkable job of ensuring that the System i and all of its previous iterations have been compatible, upgradeable, and functional for everything that has come before them. There are few instances in which customers have had to make radical changes to existing applications to get them to run. Do you think with RPG we've had a similar problem?

PT: I agree. Unlike other platforms, the problem that you have is, stuff you had written for System/38 back in 1979 still runs on the system perfectly today, even without recompilation for crying out loud. In terms of other platforms, that's just ridiculous. I don't know any other platform that will give you that. I know that on certain versions of Unix that I've worked on, even when you went from something like version 5 to version 6, you'd have to recompile your applications to get it to work.

CM: So you think it's hard to get developers to move when everything still works?

PT: It's that old adage, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' That's something that I've never subscribed to -- that's not what maintenance is about. If something comes along that's easy to implement that's going to make life easier for you in the future, then you implement it. It's the same as maintenance with anything. You look at guys who work in plants on the maintenance with machines, they'll tweak them and enhance them as they go along. Unfortunately, if more people had been enhancing slowly over the years, they wouldn't be facing what they're facing now with their applications, which is they have to effectively rewrite half of them. They're looking at a much bigger job in one lump than they were before, which puts them in the position of managers saying, 'Well maybe we should be looking at a different package or a different platform or a different solution altogether.'

But in terms of RPG and progress of RPG during the last 15 years, to me the biggest problem has been the adoption of the changes that IBM has brought out -- not that IBM isn't doing anything. I think they've been doing a phenomenal job with RPG.

CM: What about things like EGL, Java, PHP, Groovy, Grails -- what about RPG alternatives? How are they fitting these days?

PT: It's a slow adoption that is really the problem here, and part of the issue that I would have had with things like Java is that they've been seen as a replacement for RPG as opposed to something played along with RPG. If you're looking at the modernization of any application on System i at the moment, which is more than likely going to be toward the web or in a couple of years toward these rich client things we're going to be developing through EGL or using Eclipse as a base for the client. But if you're looking at the modernization of a pure RPG application, half of the RPG is going to disappear anyway. Because if you look at any green-screen application, probably half the code there is just for dealing with the interface. Regardless of whether you use something like CGIDEV2 or you use something like Java or whatever, more than half that code will go away. In a true modernization process what you'll want to keep is that good business logic, which is written in RPG and handles all the database stuff so well, etc., that's the core that will have to remain there. So in terms of things like EGL and Java, to me they are just tools for dealing with an interface, and that's the way they should have always been approached, depending on the size of company you are and what your needs are.

Java for multiple reasons has failed to deliver. I think the big question mark over EGL is how much IBM will decide to charge for it -- because I've got a funny feeling that EGL is not going to be free . . . and I think that will basically exclude it from 70 percent of the base, because if you're going to be paying for it, there are 50 other vendors who will gladly sell you something that will, for all intents and purposes, do the exact same job.

CM: Is that idea of having it free, do you think it's important to the health of the System i in terms of the market and in retaining customers?

PT: I think there's going to be an interesting year ahead because with this whole move of the Toronto Labs now effectively becoming a section within Rational, and Rational's background is as a software company, and obviously any software they develop they are going to want to charge for it. And their model doesn't really fit with the traditional System i model where you buy the machine and the software comes with it and it's a big bang -- it all comes in the box and you order it in one go. If it's a thing that, for example, you're going to get a base WDSc that will do your RPG stuff as standard, and then, oh, if you want to do EGL, well that's another $200 per programmer or $2,000 or whatever they decide is the figure, I think System i people are going to balk at that because it's not the way they are used to buying software. Of course, if they were PC or Unix developers, that's exactly how it works. It's every little plug-in that you want, you buy. We've been out of whack with the rest of the industry for so long, so it's going to be really interesting to see if IBM can convince people to buy software when they need it.

Posted by cmaxcer on October 30, 2007 at 11:38 AM | Comments (13)

October 25, 2007 9:52 AM

VAI Ramps Up System i Telephony Solutions

ERP and CRM solution provider VAI, which focuses on the distribution, manufacturing, retail, and service industries, is ramping up its System i telephony solutions to meet customer interest. VAI has partnered with iMessaging Systems, a System i-focused call center solution provider. VAI will offer iMessaging's iNspire Call Center Suite as an optional component to VAI's S2K Enterprise software line.

Why is this significant? Easy answer. These two companies are working together to deliver advanced telephony solutions to System i-based organizations, and whenever a company invests in System i-focused solutions -- as opposed to, say, a Windows-based solution -- the company becomes more likely to remain a System i customer for a long time to come. Any increase in a diverse set of workloads on the System i is a win for the System i community.

Specifically, VAI has joined iMessaging's Telephony Integration Program (TIP) for System i ISVs. iMessaging's TIP provides ISVs with a set of application tools for telephony integration, including training and consulting services. So VAI can now help its customers integrate their S2K solutions with any private branch exchange (PBX). In addition, iMessaging interoperates with IBM System i IP Telephony -- a.k.a. VoIP -- which is replacing traditional PBX telephone systems.

Key iNspire Call Center Suite features include inbound and outbound interactive voice response (IVR) for self-service, intelligent call routing, click-to-call functions, and custom screen pops delivered to agents simultaneously with calls.

Of course, VAI's customers who are most interested tend to have call centers or lots of inbound calls, but some are implementing IP telephony solutions integrated with S2K applications for only a portion of their user base rather than all at once.

In the mid-to-late 90s, VAI did some custom interfaces, but around the year 2000, "the interest around bigger call centers for telephony waned," says VAI CIO Kevin Beasley, noting that in the last year, customers have been reinvesting in their voice systems, partially due to phone system upgrade cycles, cost savings around VoIP, and a greater knowledge of how application integration can lead to better service and efficiency.

In addition, Beasley says, VAI is seeing customers with sales people out in the field who want to use voice as the user interface in addition to voice interaction in the warehouse. "Really, voice is just another interface, another UI the System i can handle," he says.

Posted by cmaxcer on October 25, 2007 at 9:52 AM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2007 9:44 AM

Problems and Solutions: The GUI

In our "System i Problems -- and Possible Solutions" post, dozens of System i pros listed their concerns, ideas, and issues. Some issues are obviously minor and some obviously major, and either way, I thought I'd start by banging on the GUI issue because it's one that I've seen come up often enough over the last year. There are at least two ways of looking at GUIs on the System i -- for applications and for a native GUI for i5/OS -- and there are some existing GUI-based solutions. So let's drill down: where's the real problem, exactly?

Here's some snips from relevant posts:

For the screen interfacing for the built applications, there must a way to build GUI screens for applications built using native programming languages, i.e., RPG, COBOL,etc., even if this needs a thin client to be installed on the client PCs.
-- REDA MOHAMED ALY KHALIFA

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I think what the System i needs is a native graphical user interface. Seems to me it's the green-screen that immediately makes high-level decision makers brand it as 'old technology.'

I don't think the HATS, screen-scrapers, etc., ways of improving the look and feel remove the impression that System i is 'old' -- the users think it's just 'disguising' something ancient.

I've seen System P unix servers with their not-so-great graphical interface, but right away the bosses think it's 'latest technology.'
-- John Trezevant

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It seems like there is general agreement that it is the interface. The server has fabulous and legendary capabilities, but the presentation is lacking -- just like IBM marketing! There is probably a skunk-works project in Rochester to give the AS/400 a GUI, but someone is keeping it bottled up. We freed RPG, now it is time to free the AS/400 GUI!

--rf

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IBM actually has built a GUI light client that provides the central management features of web with the look and feel of a local application.

It is called Eclipse, and WDSc is based on it. The new release of Notes is based on it. The new and free Office killer app Symphony is based on it. IBM, Google, and others keep talking about SAS and cloud computing. Do you see a trend here?

I see two paths to the future: 1) WEB 2.0, in which all the on-screen widgets are built into the browser, providing the ability to build apps that feel local; 2) special clients like Eclipse that provide a platform upon which to build centrally managed apps that feel like local apps.

IBM has Eclipse as a GUI platform answer that runs on multiple OSs.

--ShanePoad

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5) GUI integration on the LIC level and the browser interface.
-- Anand Venkatachalam

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People want a 'native GUI,' yet they are available -- just not the ones ~they~ want.
-- Trevor

So, if there's a critical need here, how's it needed, exactly? And if IBM delivered, what would it accomplish to help the System i?

Posted by cmaxcer on October 23, 2007 at 9:44 AM | Comments (37)

October 18, 2007 8:44 AM

IBM Announces Third Quarter Financial Results

There's no point in beating around the bush: IBM announced its third quarter financial results for 2007 on Tuesday, and there was only one mention of the System i:

"Revenues from the System i servers decreased 21 percent."

I half expected a note about the new Business Systems and Power Systems units -- some mention of those management transitions, but there was nothing official in the press release or prepared comments for the webcast for investors. I totally expected a comment during the Q&A portion of the webcast, but Mark Loughridge, IBM senior vice president and chief financial officer, directed questions about Systems and Technology segment revenue toward the System z, which saw a 31 percent decline over last year -- because last year's third quarter was so fantastic.

Of course, the fourth quarter tends to be stronger in the System i world, and the new i570s with the POWER6 processor only became available September 16.

Here's the revenue breakdown:

• Overall Systems and Technology group revenue decrease 6 percent (excluding divestiture of the Printing System Division; otherwise, 10 percent down).
• System p revenues increased 6 percent.
• System x increased 6 percent (Blades grew 8 percent).
• System z decreased 31 percent.
• System i decreased 21 percent.
• Storage increased 1 percent (tape up 7 percent, disk down 3 percent).
• Microelectronics decreased 15 percent.
• Total Global Services revenue increased 14 percent (highest rate since 3Q03)
• Total Software revenue increased 7 percent.
• WebSphere revenue increased 10 percent.
• Information Management software revenue increased 9 percent.
• Lotus software increased 9 percent.
• Rational software increased 3 percent.

"Our outstanding services results this quarter enabled us to stay on track toward our objective of accelerated earnings-per-share growth through 2010, while we work through a transition in our hardware business," noted Samuel Palmisano, IBM chairman, president, and chief executive officer. "Our year-to-date performance underscores the strength of major elements of our long-term roadmap, including revenue growth, margin expansion, and continued success in emerging market countries and in the integration of our acquisitions."

From a geographic perspective, the Americas' third-quarter revenues were $10.2 billion, an increase of 4 percent as reported (3 percent, adjusting for currency) from the 2006 period. Revenues from Europe/Middle East/Africa were $8.1 billion, up 11 percent (4 percent, adjusting for currency). Asia-Pacific revenues increased 9 percent (6 percent, adjusting for currency) to $4.9 billion.

The only other System i-related mention was that IBM attributed the decline in disk sales to the "midrange" market, but didn't specifically say "i."

Posted by cmaxcer on October 18, 2007 at 8:44 AM | Comments (11)

October 16, 2007 9:01 AM

Bytware Creates PHP i5virus Mystery

Bytware, the System i-focused systems management and security-focused company, has created an interesting viral marketing campaign designed to draw attention to PHP and possible security issues that the open scripting language might bring to the System i world.

The campaign, which is set up in the form of a scavenger hunt kind of game, starts at i5virus.com, which sets up the premise -- a mystery you have to solve: track down the criminals behind an attack against Silic Financial.

The game begins with a YouTube video that had 43 views as of press time. It's pretty slick, really, and has a great thumpin' soundtrack.

Although Bytware offers a security package called StandGuard Network Security and StandGuard Anti-Virus, the company's focus seems to be on driving awareness at this point.

"With Zend PHP on System i, it has become possible for hackers to exploit known PHP bugs to gain unauthorized access to the system. PHP can provide you with many benefits, but it is important that security is properly configured," according to the game instructions.

Once you find and enter all the clues, you can enter a prize drawing for a Nintendo Wii and iTunes gift cards.

Posted by cmaxcer on October 16, 2007 at 9:01 AM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007 8:46 AM

PHP on the Rise, Zend Gets Eclipsed, and Mantis/400 Is Free

Zend held its annual Zend/PHP Conference & Expo in San Francisco last week. About 700 people attended, which equates to a 40 percent boost over last year's attendance. The conference was for any Zend/PHP-focused pro -- including but not limited to System i pros.

Jim Dillard, who is the IBM alliance manager for Zend, told me that he's been so focused on the System i world that he was almost slapped upside the head (my words, not his exact ones) by the movement and support of PHP outside of the System i ecosystem.

Oracle and Microsoft both took the stage to express support for PHP, in addition to IBM. "For the System i community, the one takeaway is that PHP is being used much more in the corporate world than they might realize -- it's reaching higher levels," Dillard said, noting that one top 10 Fortune company is looking at standardizing on PHP for certain applications, which would basically give its various business units the green light to use PHP.

Some of Dillard's System i-focused customers told him they were surprised to learn -- and happy to see -- that Oracle and Microsoft are aware of and are willing to support PHP, too. (Microsoft will deliver a new FastCGI module that improves PHP performance on Windows, as well as a new SQL Server 2005 Driver for PHP, while Oracle announced PHP support for Connection Pooling in Oracle Database 11g.)

"I know I run into people and on the phone who say, 'Well, is this going to be another Net.Data or another CGIDEV?'" Dillard said. "I think people are continuing to realize this [the use of PHP] is really going to increase."

Also of note is the pre-release version of a new IDE, Zend Studio for Eclipse, code named Neon, which will ship from Zend in early 2008.

In Zend's press materials, Stephen O'Grady, a principal analyst for RedMonk, nailed the key point:

"There is little debate that the Eclipse community is increasingly the center of gravity with respect to professional development tooling. By aligning itself with the Eclipse platform, Zend is at once bringing PHP to entirely new audiences and giving existing PHP developers access to an immense volume of plug-ins and tools," he said.

Dillard noted that the WYSIWYG capabilities should also help speed the learning process for RPG developers as they learn PHP, which also brings up a cool new help-desk application, Mantis/400, which was ported from the open-source Mantis HelpDesk. The System i version is free and comes with free Mantis/400-based support. Curbstone's Ira Chandler and Mantis expert Victor Boctor had a hand in the effort, though I haven't talked to them directly.

Dillard reported that Zend had been looking for an application that could be ported to work with DB2/400 and PHP on the System i, and that of several choices, Zend's System i-focused community wanted a help-desk application.

"RPGers learn code by seeing how something works -- like an engineer who takes something apart to see how it works and then puts it back together," Dillard said, noting that Mantis/400 covers that angle while actually being useful to many System i shops at the same time.

Posted by cmaxcer on October 15, 2007 at 8:46 AM | Comments (3)

October 9, 2007 8:58 AM

System i Problems -- and Possible Solutions

I've noticed several frustrated, angry, confused, hurt, and nearly irate comments on Maxed Out lately -- and I'm sure loyal readers have, too. Of course, these emotions have a basis in the current state of the System i platform. Long-time System i pros and enthusiasts have seen the AS/400's rise to greatness . . . and subsequent loss of server market share, both in units and revenue, over the course of the last several years. We've seen IBM "i" division general managers come and go, marketing campaigns take off, sputter, and die, and IBM Business Partners diversify their efforts by adding solutions for other platforms.

And IBM . . . IBM has been a master of diversification. We can guess at the company's motivation, and you can bet that it's a bit fractured, too -- there are System i loyalists in the halls of Rochester and in New York, no doubt, but there are also IBMers who don't really care about any specific platform or technology. These guys may care about the customer . . . or they may simply care about making a profit, which isn't so bad because IBM is a public company with a clear-cut mission to provide a profit to its shareholders. Can't forget that niggling little point.

So, what to do about it?

That's the question, of course, but before anyone can answer it, we need to get specific. You can't solve a problem if you're not sure what the problem is, exactly. Is the problem awareness? Marketing? Price? Performance? Or the fact that IBM isn't going to deliver NSFDB2 for i5/OS? Is it a thousand little things? Or just five core issues?

Take Your Head Out of the Sand

OK, let's go to work. Here's what we need to determine:

• what's wrong or missing with the System i and i5/OS as a platform
• what's wrong or missing with IBM's approach to selling System i
• what's intensely and fantastically right about the System i, i5/OS, and IBM's sales approach

Seriously, now. Some of the problems for some customers may not be big problems to the community -- and that's what this is all about. Take NSFDB2 for i5/OS, for example. How big a problem is this? Seriously? Will it negatively impact System i-based organizations? A lot? A little? I've heard conflicting reports. Is it a top-ten problem? What about IBM's RPG development plans? Any critical holes? How about PHP and Java? You can argue that PHP and Java are damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don't languages -- IBM needs to help ensure that the i5/OS can utilize them, right, but still, these are cross-platform languages, and, as such, do they really help the System i in the long run? And then, isn't it more important that they help the customer in the long run? Tough questions, no doubt.

Here's What We'll Do With It

As we identify these problems, I'll sort through them, poke at them, and invite others to poke, too. I'll contact System i "luminaries" -- respected experts in the field and ask them to comment as well. At the the end of this, we'll come up with a handful of problems that need solutions, problems that have no realistic solution, and areas of opportunity for IBM and System i-loving customers.

Then I'll make the attempt to put these questions and concerns in front of IBMers. I may or may not have success here. IBM, like any company, is sometimes responsive, sometimes not. Sometimes the public face is far different from the private face. But we must try. Anything less than trying is simply whining . . . and nobody likes a whiner.

Oh, one more thing: if we clearly identify a problem or issue, I'll ask to talk to IBM or solicit a response whenever the time is right. We don't have to create a gleaming and golden list of items. I'm envisioning a process, a project -- heck, maybe this deserves an organizing principle? A code name? Operation i?

So, post your comments now and at any time in the future. As we generate a workable mass, I'll organize them and create a new post for clarity and focus. Oh, don't forget this: if you type the name of a product or feature, try to use the correct, current name. We don't want anyone referring to an AS/400 when they really mean a System i, for example.

So, what do you say? Are you game?

Posted by cmaxcer on October 9, 2007 at 8:58 AM | Comments (40)

October 8, 2007 8:41 AM

Coming to RPG: Local File Support for Subprocedures

Last week George Farr tipped IBM's RPG hand and shared some upcoming enhancements to RPG with attendees at the RPG & DB2 Summit in Minneapolis. V6R1 will include local file support for subprocedures, relaxed size limits, multiple threading, and more.

I wasn't there, but a long-time System i-focused public relations person -- Amy Lantz, who used to work for SoftLanding -- sent me a well-written press release. In any event, I thought I'd share the keynote report coming out of the conference organizers. Oh, one more thing: about 175 people attended, giving this burgeoning conference a 30 percent boost over its spring event:

Minneapolis, MN -- October 4, 2007 -- As the Keynote speaker at the RPG & DB2 Summit in Minneapolis today, IBM's George Farr, Worldwide Product Line manager for WDS, WDSc, and the RPG compilers, publicly disclosed enhancements to RPG slated for the next release of i5/OS. Addressing an overflow crowd of RPG & DB2 Summit attendees, he emphasized IBM's continued investment in RPG as evidenced by several significant enhancements that make the language even more flexible and efficient. The upcoming enhancements include, among other things, support for local files in subprocedures, relaxed size restrictions, and the ability to run multiple threads within an application.

The room reacted with exclamations and applause as Farr explained that V6R1 will include local file support for subprocedures. By defining an F-spec after beginning a subprocedure, a file becomes local to the subprocedure. "You like that?" asked Farr, grinning.

IBM will also increase size limits for character fields, data structures, and arrays from 32K to 16MB to better accommodate applications that handle XML documents, which tend to be very large.

Today, RPG's serialized threads can sometimes create bottlenecks when used in a server environment. According to Farr, as of the next release, developers can expect RPG IV to have full support for multiple threads. This update positions RPG business logic to be easily called from the web without the risk of corrupting data. In addition, developers retain the option of selecting specific procedures to be serialized.

Other planned enhancements include the ability to define a file as Qualified to alleviate the need to repeatedly rename formats and the ability to reduce module size by automatically locating and deleting unreferenced variables.

Farr also elicited feedback on his "vision for the future" of "all-free RPG." Most in the audience expressed enthusiasm based on their positive experiences to date with /Free. However, a few attendees voiced concern that the lack of structure inherent in /Free does not force less experienced or less detail-oriented programmers to follow formatting standards. "Freedom comes with a price," Farr acknowledged. Vern Hamberg of RJS Software Systems suggested that one solution might be a formatting Wizard for /Free data specifications (D-specs). In typical style, Farr quipped, "Good idea. That will give Barbara [Morris] something to do this weekend." The audience continued brainstorming potential solutions, including the ability for IT organizations to define their own D-spec standards.

Attendee Melinda Miller of Lawson Software observed that RPG "won't go anywhere" if it can't run on other platforms. Farr suggested IBM's Enterprise Generation Language (EGL) as one way to extend RPG to other platforms and generate web interfaces. In addition, he said, IBM is actively working on plans to enhance EGL's integration and communication with RPG and System i resources. "Nobody is saying that EGL will replace RPG," he stressed. "Customers have a choice, use RPG IV, EGL, or both combined to solve your business problems."

Posted by cmaxcer on October 8, 2007 at 8:41 AM | Comments (4)

October 4, 2007 12:07 AM

IBM Commercials: Maybe Not So Specific Isn't Bad

Guest Post: Rita-Lyn Sanders, Senior Industry Editor for System iNEWS

Aaaah fall -- my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing, cozy sweaters are back, the season premieres have piqued my interest, football is, well, it was good until the Ducks lost to Cal Saturday!

And all the cool, new commercials.

I was watching one of the premieres last week for some show that stuck with me, and on came a commercial about IBM. Even cooler, the focus seemed to be on "i."

I was excited, intrigued, and then suddenly quite confused. The man dressed in the superhero outfit with the big i on his chest talked to the woman about integration, innovation, and other i words that those of us in the System i world use often.

However, in typical IBM commercial fashion, there wasn't any mention of any kind of product -- no servers, no software, no, no, nothing. I hadn't a clue what the superhero was trying to sell. Wait a minute, is IBM for sale? (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

The end of the commercial pointed folks to an IBM webpage about "i." Further investigation revealed that the website boasts about generic IBM solutions. (Sorry, I couldn't find the website again.)

Now, I'm not a marketing person, but I've never been a fan of universal advertising. It's bad enough when you can't determine what product a company is trying to push on you from the commercial that is supposedly pushing it, but it's even worse when you expect a commercial to be about a particular product (in this case, our beloved "i") and it isn't.

Why can't IBM get on the cool advertising train? Do its markets and target customers really require this general marketing?

My favorite commercials usually speak loud and clear to the products they're selling, even if they are a bit abstract. In every case, the commercials I like are funny.

My favorite all-time commercial is for Budweiser. It starts out with a copy machine salesman pitching the copy machine to a customer. He uses a single bottle of beer to demonstrate the copy machine. "It copies," he says, and out pops a beer onto the copy tray. "It enlarges," he continues with more animation, and one of those big 20-ounce bottles of beer rolls out. "It collates," he says more enthusiastically," and a six-pack slides out of the copy machine.

Finally, with the eager anticipation of a Monday night football watcher (which you have to pay to be now, but that's another irritating story), the customer exclaims, "I'll take it!"

As the customer walks out of the room, the side mechanical door pops open on the copy machine to reveal a second salesman packed inside with a keg. "Whew," he says. "That was close. I was beginning to think I was going to have to get this outa' here."

I'm sure the lines are not word for word, and I couldn't find the commercial on the web, but it's my favorite.

I also love the "Real Men of Genius" commercials for Budweiser. They're a hoot, too.

Of course, not every commercial from Anheuser-Busch is a winner. I never really liked the frog commercials, or the horses playing football, and the "Whassup" commercials made me cringe.

They are typically pretty funny, though, and they're about beer.

Of course, now that I think about it, they sometimes don't push a specific beer product such as Budweiser, Michelob, or Rolling Rock.

Hmmm. Maybe there's something to universal brand-name advertising after all. What do you think?

Posted by cmaxcer on October 4, 2007 at 12:07 AM | Comments (8)

October 3, 2007 11:56 PM

Out of the Office

Hey everyone . . . I was out of the office for some family medical stuff, but I'm back in the office now. I've been paying attention to all the posts, particularly those about IBM and how the company been managing its System i, etc. There's been a lot of great points made, and I've been kicking around some ideas on future coverage. . . .

Posted by cmaxcer on October 3, 2007 at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)