Bye Bye System p and i, Hello Power Systems
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

It's been a little more than a decade in the making, but I have a hunch that IBM is getting closer to doing with brands what it has already done with technology when it comes to its System i and System p Power-based machinery: consolidate. Server consolidation is one of the driving forces--if not the driving force--in the server racket these days, so there is logic here, and once IBM merged the System i and System p development and manufacturing operations into Power Systems last July, it has always been just a matter of time before Big Blue would do away with the System i and System p brands. READ MORE >

The HP Pitch on Rehosting i5/OS Applications on Integrity
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Having formally declared war for the umpteenth time on the mainframe last October with its Application Modernization Initiative in partnership with database maker Oracle and server chip maker Intel, Hewlett-Packard is gearing up to take a run at the OS/400 and i5/OS installed base. Getting customers to change platforms is never easy, even when they are not particularly happy, but rehosting environments certainly help and have always been part of such programs. READ MORE >

NetManage and Rocket Software Call Off Acquisition Deal
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

It is a story that is playing out in every industry these days. The credit crunch on the world's financial markets, caused by the American housing bubble popping and the consequent unraveling of the mortgage-backed securities that were making many of the big private equity firms flush with cash, has made it hard for companies to buy their way into new businesses. And so it seems to be with Rocket Software and its $69 million acquisition of host connectivity and application modernization software maker NetManage. READ MORE >

As I See It: Bringing the Funny
by Victor Rozek

One of the early traumas that children suffer is often at the hands of well-meaning parents who hire clowns to entertain at birthday parties. The grotesquely painted face, the loud unfamiliar costume, the over-sized feet, and the parental pressure to have fun because this is costing Daddy a couple-hundred bucks all combine to confuse and frighten the child. More than one party has been disrupted when the birthday celebrant runs off crying in search of his or her mother. READ MORE >