The System iWant, 2010 Edition: Entry Boxes
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

I am running out of time to pitch the rest of my theoretical and completely hypothetical System iWant, 2010 Edition, machines, with the initial Power7-based Power Systems launch due in February. The current rumor has it that IBM will roll out an entry Power 520-class machine in the next two weeks, but I have obviously not been able to confirm that with Big Blue. What I do know for sure is that IBM has to do a better job with entry Power Systems and that the company knows this. READ MORE >

IBM Touts System i TCO in ITG Report
by Alex Woodie

The IBM i/OS-based Power Systems server has more than a 40 percent lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over the course of three years compared to similar Windows and Linux servers, according to a new International Technology Group (ITG) study released this month by IBM. The 34-page report, which used real-world configuration data to outfit hypothetical business computers, is the latest in a line of ITG reports that try to quantify the System i advantages. READ MORE >

Open Source Mainstream Begins to Flow Through IBM i Land
by Dan Burger

So when does open source software become mainstream in IBM Power Systems i environments? It's fair to say that mainstream is not even close to an accurate description today. But don't think it's disappearing from the radar screen. More people are discovering open source software, and you should expect this frontier to be well traveled sooner rather than later. Larry Augustin, chief executive officer at SugarCRM and open source frontiersman, uses the term 'safe bet' to describe enterprise open source software at the dawn of 2010. READ MORE >

Mad Dog 21/21: One-Trick Pony, But What a Trick!
by Hesh Wiener

Microsoft's net income during its second fiscal quarter, the calendar's fourth, was up by a stunning 60 percent. The company's revelation showed net income of $6.66 billion on sales of $19.02 billion; a third of Microsoft's intake went to the bottom line. By way of comparison, IBM earned $4.81 billion, or 17.7 percent of its $27.23 billion in revenue, nearly half of it from software that accounted for a quarter of Big Blue's intake. Microsoft's success was even more concentrated. A third of its revenue and five-eighths of its profit came from Windows for PCs. READ MORE >