I posed this response to the System i Network forums when they asked the question: "If IBM came to visit tomorrow and granted you one wish, what would you ask for?"
My response sums up my only gripe with the platform:
Call the operating system OS/400 again. "i" is a broad term that confuses the hell out of people.
Some Guy: "What are you running under the hood of that thing?"
Me: "i."
Long, awkward pause.
Bemused Guy: "O...K..."
Me: "OS/400...it's essentially a modern AS/400 running OS/400 V7R1 but they call it a Power System running i, or IBM i, or i5/OS...it's interchangeable even though they brought in the i5/OS name with the Power 5 processor and they've moved to Power 6 and 7 now but never changed the OS name to go along with the new processors. You'll find references to i5/OS on the system but it's really i now. Most of the licensed programs and literature and menus don't reference i5/OS anymore but some do. And it's not V7R1 anymore...it's 7.1"
Confused Guy Moving On: "Well, how fast are the processors?"
Me: "Well...it's a model 720, not to be confused with the old AS/400 model 720 from 1999...remember it's a Power System. Anyway it's a 720 so it's got a 6 core 3.0 GHz, but i processor performance is really measured in CPW, not necessarily clock speed..."
Mildly Frustrated Guy with the Million Dollar Question: "What's CPW?"
I can't count the number of times I've had this exact same conversation. Very funny.
ReplyDeleteI think IBM has some employees whose yearly bonus is contingent on renaming as many products as they can. Then there is another group assigned to make the name indecipherable from what it does.
IBM - Indecipherable Bollocks'd-up Monikers
The point is even IBM does not call it consistently by the same name, either when you speak with your representative or look at the website! I get fed up with trying to work out what is the right responses to peoples questions, many of those not on the platform have never even heard of AS/400 let alone anyone of the others! My point is we need to call it what people know it as regardless of its current IBM marketing name. Once IBM gets all of its documentation and resources to provide a single cohesive message we as users will stand a better chance of speaking the same language.
ReplyDeleteI am sure the language police will be all over this one!
Chris...
Everyone I know still calls it an AS/400 and OS/400. When you use that terminology and everyone knows what you mean.
ReplyDeleteThere is an easy way to stop griping. Learn what the actual OS name is, and what it is. Then you will realize it is not an AS/400 or an OS/400.
ReplyDeleteIBM i is the name of the OS. It runs on Power Systems from IBM - the leading hardware platform on the planet (yeah, the same one that runs Watson!)...
To understand why there is a difference, and why you should never call IBM i by any of its old names, remember that the platform has evolved, not just been renamed by a bunch of IBMers. And certainly, if we keep complaining about IBM not calling it right, or making any of a thousand excuses, we will simply end up in a small room with a small number of old Canadian RPG programmers. Sad, really...
Here is an analogy for the brand challenged: http://blog.angustheitchap.com/?p=354
Trevor, perhaps you missed the humor involved in the discussion.
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is that IBM is consistently inconsistent on the name, even in their own literature on the product. My second point, is that calling it "IBM i" causes enough confusion that IBM needs a marketing campaign to actually market the initial marketing campaign. That's even why you commented on my (*cough*) small Canadian blog...to clarify the NAME of the OS! Now that, I beg your pardon, is quite funny.
OK Steve, name one really funny Australian sit-com! Wait for it! OK, keep waiting for it! Oh crap, there are none. Apparently any sense of warped British humor was lost as they rounded the Cape! Angus/Trevor - you missed the freaking point in trying to be clever and correct. Sad, really... but you're not alone - you're in perfect company with IBM's marketing department. That's what's really sad.
ReplyDeleteLoved the excellent commentary Steve. Griping, even in jest, is what will save the platform!