Of course, there is thin client technology that would give you all of those
mainframe/minicomputer benefits on modern hardware for free (software, not
hardware), including all source. It could have been built cheaply with
worldwide support from both private and corporate operating system experts
for all new emerging hardware technologies.
But alas, the world saw Microsoft as their saviour in the 1990's as they did
IBM in the '60s, '70s, and into the '80s. Even most of that rag-tag bunch
that saw a better way in HP way back then, succumbed to Microsoft's siren
song.
Yes, an updated MPE could easily have been created to sit atop a stripped
down and MPE optimized Linux kernel supporting all manner of server hardware
and new operating system technologies. But as the late Wirt once told me,
the chance for that happening passed in 2001. So now HP has regulated the
HP3000 and MPE users to hospice care making them as comfortable and happy as
possible until they pass on.
On Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 7:11 AM, John Lee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Isn't a mainframe more secure, too? And aren't upgrades easier, as opposed
> to upgrading many workstations?
>
> John Lee
> Preferred Systems Maintenance (fka Vaske Computer Solutions
>
>
>
>
>
> At 06:26 PM 7/12/2009 -0700, donna hofmeister wrote:
>
>> "If you do a total cost of ownership, the mainframe comes out cheaper, but
>> since the costs of a mainframe are immediately obvious, it is hard to get
>> it
>> past the bean-counters of an organization."
>>
>> Funny, I said essentially the same thing to someone at hp about mpe. The
>> recipient's eyes flew open like I had said the most amazing thing ever
>> heard. I'm not a "bean counter" but it was sooooo obvious that this was
>> the
>> case...and yet this had never occurred to this very well-educated hp'er
>> <sigh><alas>
>>
>> But anyhow...tis true -- it can be very very hard to replace legacy apps
>> (for a multitude of reasons) and some people just can't/won't get that.
>> - d
>>
>> ---
>> Donna Hofmeister
>> Allegro Consultants, Inc.
>> 408-252-2330
>>
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>> > Behalf Of Tracy Johnson
>> > Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 8:33 AM
>> > To: [log in to unmask]
>> > Subject: [HP3000-L] HP3000 Workers Chances Improving?
>> >
>> > >From Slashdot last night. Presume the hidden cost of letting HP3000
>> > workers go way back may also apply here.
>> >
>> > (I think the original poster should have put 'not' before
>> > 'immediately'.)
>> >
>> > +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
>> > | Retired Mainframe Pros Lured Back Into Workforce |
>> > | from the come-back-so-we-can-fire-you-again dept. |
>> > | posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday July 10, @18:22 (Businesses) |
>> > | http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/10/200204 |
>> > +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
>> >
>> > [0]itwbennett writes "Businesses that cut experienced mainframe
>> > administrators in an effort to cut costs inadvertently created a skills
>> > shortage that is coming back to bite them. Chris O'Malley, CA's
>> > mainframe business executive VP, says that mainframe workers were let
>> > go
>> > because 'it had no immediate effect and the organizations didn't expect
>> > to keep mainframes around.' But businesses have kept mainframes around
>> > and now they are [1]struggling to find engineers. Prycroft Six managing
>> > director Greg Price, a mainframe veteran of some 45 years, put it this
>> > way: 'Mainframes are expensive, ergo businesses want to go to cheaper
>> > platforms, but [those platforms] have a lot of packaged overheads. If
>> > you do a total cost of ownership, the mainframe comes out cheaper, but
>> > since the costs of a mainframe are immediately obvious, it is hard to
>> > get it past the bean-counters of an organization.'"
>> >
>> > Discuss this story at:
>> > http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=09/07/10/200204
>> >
>> > Links:
>> > 0. http://www.itworld.com/
>> > 1. http://www.itworld.com/%5Bprimary-term%
>> > 5D/70886/retired-mainframe-pros-lured-back-workforce
>> >
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>
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