29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

News Notes from All Over

Commentary
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Windows XP on AS/400?

John Earl writes to us: "What is the secret behind Windows XP? Could it really be pre-1995 IBM technology in disguise?" John found the following Web page here. (For a closer look at the photo, see Figure 1 below.)

http://www.mcpressonline.com/articles/images/2002/Notes%20from%20all%20over%20-%20June%203%202002V300.png

"You are treated to a rack of AS/400 equipment, a raised floor, a green-screen terminal, an old green-bar printer, and a raft of printed manuals that appear to be of the V2 vintage," John continues. "The AS/400 is probably a vintage D model, judging by the Malcolm Baldridge quality award banner, which was plastered onto the old D models beginning in 1991."

Evidently the Microsoft Web designer thought that rack-mounted AS/400s represented the kind of image that Microsoft needed to promote when talking about security and ease of use.

John writes: "At least when it comes to truth in advertising, 'More Secure; Easier to Manage' does more accurately describe the old AS/400 than the new Windows XP."

We wonder how long it will be before Microsoft realizes it made a slight faux pas and replaces the image with something less proprietary.

http://www.mcpressonline.com/articles/images/2002/Notes%20from%20all%20over%20-%20June%203%202002V301.png

Figure 1: A secure Windows XP shop? A picture is worth a thousand words!

XP Service Pack Beta

Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced it will release a beta of its first service pack for Windows XP later this month. The service pack contains a variety of fixes and some new features too. Microsoft says the service pack will be the first changes that bring the Windows XP operating system into compliance with the government's consent decree.

Many patches within the service pack are technical fixes derived from Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing Initiative--fixes that aim to plug outstanding security holes in the product. But this is only the beginning, and Microsoft says it will continue to include newer security fixes to the beta version right up until it ships to manufacturing later this summer. The patches are largely the result of the code review that the Windows division undertook for the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Initiative. However, the company is also adding new features to XP that include support for USB 2.0 and .Net Framework options. Other new features include support for Free Style, Tablet PC, and Mirror devices.

More significant than the new features and functions, however, is how Microsoft is changing XP to comply with court mandates that were the result of Microsoft's anti-trust battles and the subsequent consent decree. Those mandates are designed to give users, software developers, and OEMs more flexibility and choice in configuring XP's "middleware products" such as Media Player and Internet Explorer. This includes documenting APIs between Microsoft middleware and the internal Windows operating system, and licensing protocols so other vendors can create compatible implementations.

Despite the court's mandate to Microsoft as described in the consent decree, many analysts who have reviewed the upcoming beta are still skeptical that the new API documentation and middleware protocol licensing really levels the Windows playing field. Meanwhile, the court battle between Microsoft and those nine remaining states plus the District of the Columbia that did not sign onto the consent decree continues. The outcome of that legal conflict could result in Microsoft's being forced to create a stripped-down version of Windows that would allow third parties a better means of interfacing their products.

Support for UnitedLinux from IBM

On the IBM front, Big Blue announced on May 30 that it's throwing its support behind a new uniform version of Linux called UnitedLinux, saying that it will make this version available across its portfolio of key hardware, software, and services offerings. The purpose of UnitedLinux is to create a unified version of the open-source platform, making it easier for businesses and hardware/software vendors and Business Partners to standardize. Currently, with so many slightly differing versions of Linux available--Red Hat, Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE, TurboLinux and others--customers and vendors must often port their applications from one version of Linux to another.

Four of the leading distributors of Linux--Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE, and TurboLinux--have initiated the UnitedLinux project with IBM's support. Meanwhile, despite its backing of UnitedLinux, IBM says that it will continue to provide support to Red Hat Linux across its key offerings.

The UnitedLinux initiative is open to every Linux version around the globe. The code base will be unified, and each vendor will simply add to the base its own proprietary or additional software. UnitedLinux is slated only for the enterprise, so each contributing member company will still be free to continue to develop its own desktop distribution independently.

Several other software and hardware vendors have voiced support. These vendors include AMD, Hewlett-Packard, and Borland. For more info, visit the UnitedLinux Web site.

Will iSeries Linux Heat Up?

How Linux will ultimately affect the fortunes of the iSeries remains an issue ripe for speculation. Will it really take off, consolidating office server services on the iSeries for midmarket companies? Or will it join the ranks of those IBM offerings that hold great technical promise but find few customers to embrace it? While there is no question that Linux is here to stay, there is ample room to debate whether Linux on the iSeries will significantly expand the number of customers who use the iSeries.

For instance, IBM's iSeries white paper "Linux on iSeries" by IBM's iSeries Linux project manager Craig Johnson gives a good technical overview of the capacity of the iSeries to run Linux, but little or no rationale as to why a company might want to do so. When 98% of the world is running MS Office products, it seems that no one is pulling together a reasonable business argument to run anything else. And if a company is running MS Office, why should it consider running anything other than Windows NT/2000 as the Office server? Until such a debate is joined, who cares how many Linux users can simultaneously run against an iSeries? It's like angels dancing on the head of a pin.

So what would a good business argument for Linux look like to a business manager? In this time of economic disruption, cost has got to be an integral part of the equation. Yet, there is little information available that compares the cost of running a consolidated server farm on Linux to the cost of running any sort of server farm--consolidated or otherwise--with Windows NT/2000. Likewise, arguments that stress return on investment (ROI) are exceedingly scarce in the literature of the industry. This leaves the brunt of any persuasive debate to the question of "availability of applications" and the question of "reliability of service." But in today's depressed IT market, those "big picture" arguments won't receive much attention: Cost remains the driving force. And, as a result, some companies may find the budget to play around with Linux on a PC server, but few mid-sized organizations will set out to migrate existing Microsoft server farms to Linux, and fewer still will likely purchase an iSeries to consolidate all of their MS servers.

The Linux End-User Revolution Is Still Waiting to Happen

Though some progress continues to be made to win customer and user support, there's little indication that any real wholesale revolution toward Linux is occurring. For instance, IBM's Craig Johnson is on record saying that more than 100 iSeries customers are trying out iSeries Linux in pilot projects. So far, these have been small- and mid-size businesses on smaller systems like the iSeries Model 270s and 820s. And on the end-user level, products such as CrossOver Office from CodeWeavers allow customers to run Windows 97 and Windows 2000 editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook--and Lotus Notes 5--on Linux desktops. (No Windows XP support is currently available.) If end users take to Linux because it is more reliable or less expensive than Windows, then perhaps some real momentum for Linux will be finally realized.

Still, Windows XP sales skyrocketed in the first quarter of 2002, and there seems no end in sight to Microsoft's monopoly on desktop operating and PC server operating systems. Until that monopoly is relinquished, Linux will probably continue to remain an "initiative" that garners interest but sparing support from IT management. And iSeries Linux will represent an opportunity that few organizations can easily and economically embrace.

Thomas M. Stockwell is the Editor in Chief of MC Press, LLC. He has written extensively about program development, project management, IT management, and IT consulting and has been a frequent contributor to many midrange periodicals. He has authored numerous white papers for iSeries solutions providers. His most recent consulting assignments have been as a Senior Industry Analyst working with IBM on the iSeries, on the mid-market, and specifically on WebSphere brand positioning. He welcomes your comments about this or other articles and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thomas Stockwell

Thomas M. Stockwell is an independent IT analyst and writer. He is the former Editor in Chief of MC Press Online and Midrange Computing magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a programmer, systems engineer, IT director, industry analyst, author, speaker, consultant, and editor.  

 

Tom works from his home in the Napa Valley in California. He can be reached at ITincendiary.com.

 

 

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: