On 16Mar17:1037-0500, Joel C. Ewing wrote:

> I notice they also claim
> "no need for recompilation of Cobol or PL/1 application programmes, no
> source code changes, or changes to operational procedures".
> 
> So they have somehow managed to replicate the functional behavior of all
> the SVC and PC interfaces and control blocks that application code might
> be using in z/OS batch and CICS environments, to replicate the
> functional behavior of I/O to data sets that batch jobs and CICS
> transactions might be doing, to replicate all the CICS APIs and CICS
> control blocks CICS applications might be using, to replicate all the LE
> run time support needed to execute COBOL and PL/I programs in batch and
> CICS, to replicate all the related DB2 functional APIs, and to emulate
> the execution of z-architecture application program code in batch and
> CICS environments, and to replicate operational interfaces. And since
> security was "maintained", that implies they have also managed to
> replicate the functionality of RACF for their batch, CICS, and DB2
> environments, and integrated that security somehow into the supporting
> physical operating environment to secure the "mainframe" data from
> external tampering.  In other words, to do what they seem to claim, they
> have re-implemented a significant portion of z/OS and some major
> subsystems of z/OS for another hardware platform.  All correctly and
> without infringing on any IBM patents or licensing restrictions?  And
> have achieved  reasonable transaction rates without sacrificing
> "reliability, scalability    , serviceability, and security" on hardware
> platforms that have historically been less robust than z-architecture?
> 
> Color me skeptical. 
> 
> They don't say no re-linking of load modules, which makes me suspect
> that to be legal you would have to re-link and somehow replace any
> linked-in LE run time modules, since those modules would be IBM-licensed
> code. 
> 
> Even "stabilized" applications may require occasional minor changes
> --e.g.,to adapt to trivial changes in local sales tax rates.  Without a
> mainframe compiler even a trivial change becomes a difficult load module
> patch.

Queue the IP lawyers, and action!  This looks to me a firm built to be
acquired for a tidy lump sum payoff by the competition with subsequent
euthanasia.  I'll be slow to migrate off that proven decades-old
mission-critical platform, that's for sure.
-- 
<not cent from sell>
May the LORD God bless you exceedingly abundantly!

Dave_Craig______________________________________________
"So the universe is not quite as you thought it was.
 You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then.
 Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe."
__--from_Nightfall_by_Asimov/Silverberg_________________

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