As a safe haven, MVS seems to be a mixed bag.

While I am grateful that we will have a new H30 [manufactured in the same
plant in Poughkeepsie (or however it's spelled), New York as the new line
of AS/400s just now coming out], it does appear that budget cutbacks and
purchased systems will leave us with only three to five years of career
left on OS/390 - zos.

Everything but Linux is incredibly expensive, including, but not restricted
to DB2, CICS, and a whole host of expensive tools, which--like FileAid--are
excellent, but maintenance costs add up to make owning an IBM out of the
reach of a smaller firm or a governmental agency.

While we have an AS/400, it is wholley maintained by the vendor of the
software package, and, it seems, that more and more businesses are going
this route.

The opportunity would seem to be Linux and Linux administration should be
fairly hot with the growth of open systems surpassing the supply of
qualified people to maintain them.

However, there's no really safe bet and in the meantime, I'm going to spend
some more time getting my second book out: "It's Not Your Fault, but You'll
Suffer Anyway".

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