By Bob Evans

fascinating discussion took place last week at the AS/400 Executive Summit conference; it revealed much not only about IBM and its attitudes toward its venerable midrange system, but also about the attitudes of some users who, out of their deep affection for and loyalty to the AS/400, staunchly resisted any criticism of the platform, implied or otherwise.

During a presentation on the AS/400 market built around two extensive InformationWeek surveys-one on the AS/400, the other on enterprise-class systems in general-two slides in particular sparked some lively interplay (see the study results at techweb.cmp.com/iw/642/as400.htm ).

We asked respondents if they agreed or disagreed that a particular operating system is scalable. It was no surprise t o see that the highest scores went to MVS and Unix; however, ranked third was Windows NT, with a 30% score, while the operating system of choice for most of those at the conference, OS/400, ranked fifth, with 17.4% of respondents saying it is scalable. The grumbling and guffawing and scowls and glares grew so intense that I began to mentally review some of the self-defense moves I'd watched my 6-year-old learn in karate class.

But I really began to fear for my well-being when I showed the results of this question: "In two years, what will be the dominant operating environment for enterprise-class systems in your enterprise?" MVS came in at 56.6%, Unix (all flavors) was cited by 20.2%, and Windows NT again came in third with 12.8%.

OS/400? It ranked seventh, with a score of 1.7%. Some attendees, advancing on me while pulling on brass knuckles and unsheathing rapiers (I swear!), spat out questions like "Who were the idiots you surveyed?" or "Had these respondents ever seen an AS/400?" or "Who'd you sur vey-Microsoft executives?"

Quite a pickle for IBM: an incredibly successful machine and some zealously loyal users, yet a lingering feeling among a great many other users that the platform is undermarketed, faces an uncertain future, is not strategic in IBM's eyes, and is not scalable. In this week's cover story ( AS/400: Identity Crisis ), associate editor Martin J. Garvey reveals details of IBM's plans to dramatically revitalize the AS/400 line with ambitious new hardware and software, and also with more-aggressive marketing efforts. What's your opinion on the AS/400? Let us know at the address below.

While it's not our habit to tout our accomplishments, I wanted to offer you a chance to see how you and your fellow managers of technology in business have rated the various publications serving the IT community. The Simmons CompPro V study of readership of technology publications shows that in the IS category, InformationWeek scored first with the largest readership, with 12.8% more readers than its nearest competitor.

To see the full results, go to techweb.cmp.com/iw/642/simmons.htm . We promise to work even harder in the coming year to continue to earn your respect and confidence.

Bob Evans
Editor-in-Chief
bevans@cmp.com

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