• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Leaders, Followers, and Product Development

    July 15, 2013 Dan Burger

    While writing the article about the current scene in the IBM i market as told to me by Stan Staszak, the director of Power Systems solutions at Sirius Computer Solutions, which appears elsewhere in today’s edition of The Four Hundred, I was reminded of something that Steve Will, chief architect of the IBM i, told me when we talked about his view of the IBM i back in April at the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition in Austin, Texas.

    His comment was that he often works with companies doing the newest implementations and that “in development, it almost always seems as though things are going well for a new platform.” Our conversation was about the development of IBM i 7.1. “We work with customers in the Early Ship Program and we are making sure things work. And from there we roll right into the first adopters.”

    What I took away from that conversation was that working with early adopters and companies that are helping to take products to the next the next level is not the same as having a view of the entire community. An entire community does not march to the same drummer as the segment that enjoys being on what we like to call “the bleeding edge.” That term replaces the once common “leading edge” because it is widely recognized that if you lead, you sometimes bleed.

    The leaders and the bleeders tell us a lot about the technological trails that are being blazed. But, unfortunately they don’t guarantee success for either a technology or a product. They are just indicators of some of the things that are right and wrong. On one level they are the canaries in the coal mine. On another level, they are the pioneers and the risk takers.

    In a similar vein, the companies that Staszak talks about are also the early adapters. Rather than dealing with products in the prototype phase of development, these early adopters are using products that are released into the marketplace. These products will continue to benefit from customer feedback and in subsequent versions and releases be improved. However, sometimes this discovery process leads to the conclusion that a product is not going to survive.

    Staszak and I discussed the Power-based BladeCenter blade servers as being one of those products. It might well have been the right idea, but it was the wrong product. The lessons learned, however, are being applied to the PureFlex System. It could be that this time the product developers got it right. Time, and the early adopters, will have something to say about it. But time will have the final decision. Because time factors in all the companies that wait and see if technology and products actually live up to the promises that accompanies each item that rolls down the runway.

    RELATED STORIES

    Sirius Scopes the IBM i Power Systems Market

    Avnet Describes IBM i Server Market Trends

    Doin’ A Land Office Power7 Business Down In Texas

    Blade Servers Barely Nick IBM i Market



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    ARCAD Software

    Embrace VS Code for IBM i Development

    The IBM i development landscape is evolving with modern tools that enhance efficiency and collaboration. Ready to make the move to VS Code for IBM i?

    Join us for this webinar where we’ll showcase how VS Code can serve as a powerful editor for native IBM i code and explore the essential extensions that make it possible.

    In this session, you’ll discover:

    • How ARCAD’s integration with VS Code provides deep metadata insights, allowing developers to assess the impact of their changes upfront.
    • The role of Git in enabling seamless collaboration between developers using tools like SEU, RDi, and VS Code.
    • Powerful extensions for code quality, security, impact analysis, smart build, and automated RPG conversion to Free Form.
    • How non-IBM i developers can now contribute to IBM i projects without prior knowledge of its specifics, while ensuring full control over their changes.

    The future of IBM i development is here. Let ARCAD be your guide!

    Watch Now

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Admin Alert: Major And Minor IBM i Power System Upgrades Curbstone Revamps Card Payment Software to Avoid PCI Exposure

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 23, Number 25 -- July 15, 2013
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

Infinite Corporation
New Generation Software
Abacus Solutions
Computer Keyes
WorksRight Software

Table of Contents

  • What Is IBM Going To Do With Its Systems Business?
  • Infor Customers Are Really Happy With IBM i, Survey Finds
  • Sirius Scopes The IBM i Power Systems Market
  • Mad Dog 21/21: Drones With Phones
  • The IBM i Community Is Eying the MSP Option
  • IBM To Peddle Software And Systems Training Through Partners
  • Some More Wheeling And Dealing On Power Systems, Networking
  • June Brings Jobs To The IT Market
  • Leaders, Followers, and Product Development
  • Two Decades Later, Microsoft Looks Like Big Blue Of Days Gone By

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Liam Allan Shares What’s Coming Next With Code For IBM i
  • From Stable To Scalable: Visual LANSA 16 Powers IBM i Growth – Launching July 8
  • VS Code Will Be The Heart Of The Modern IBM i Platform
  • The AS/400: A 37-Year-Old Dog That Loves To Learn New Tricks
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 25
  • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
  • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
  • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
  • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle