Mainframe Moaners

Source: Computing Canada Published: Mar 1992

Speaking at a conference in Toronto, George Schussel said “At many downsizing conferences and seminars, I have had opportunities to meet IS staffers dealing with the issue of downsizing. Among this audience, there is typically a group of old friends: the mainframe bigots. These folks are absolutely against any movement towards distributing and downsizing applications; they love their “Big Iron.”

“I have compiled a list of the basic excuses I hear muttered time and time again by mainframe enthusiasts. So, when the time comes, with this list, you will be armed with informed arguments powerful enough to overcome any bigot’s excuse.”

“Excuses one and two: PCs during the day are turned on and off while mainframes aren’t; and, PC MIPS just aren’t comparable to mainframe MIPS. The first excuse is true for standalone, PC-based personal computing. However, downsizing is all about porting mainframe software and mainframe thinking onto PC networks. In the 1990s, the “personal” aspect will somewhat leave PCs. They will be left on constantly, and work will be allocated to the idle workstations from the network operating system.”

“The second part of this objection, that PC MIPS aren’t the same as mainframe MIPS, is true but irrelevant. The comparison comes out so much in favor of the PC workstation that a few hundred per cent one way or the other won’t be noticeable in the real, day-to-day world.
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