IBM AS/400(?) in Denver, CO

From: Geoff Roberts <geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Date: Wed Jul 11 20:14:43 2001

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Hellige" <jhellige_at_earthlink.net>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 10:16 AM
Subject: Re: IBM AS/400(?) in Denver, CO


> >One drawback with the AS/400 systems is there is no alternative
> >OS for the CISC systems (which is what you usually see selling
> >cheap or being scrapped).
> >
> >The CISC AS/400 systems also can't run the newer releases of
> >the operating system.

I have one which came with it's OS still installed. Of course it would
be highly
illegal of me to use it, as the license was not transferable under any
circumstances. ;^)
Later RISC variants bound the OS license to the CPU, so the machine
would have
to be sold as a 'going concern', so it was possible to legally get
machine and license.
All of this was a customer control technique intended to nullify the 2nd
Hand market for
AS400's, which largely succeeded.

> I believe our AS/400e is a RISC setup. They're attempting to
> do whatever mods to it that are needed for it to run Win 2000.

Boggle! Say again? I hesitate to say anything is impossible, but it
seems highly unlikely at best.
How? An Intel emulator on the RISC hardware? I can't think of any
other even slight viable method.
(AS400 OS actually runs on a virtual machine, independent of the
hardware type, much like Java in concept)

> smaller AS/400 doesn't even get used any longer. It just sits on the
> floor next to the larger 'e'.

If it's a CISC machine, the licensing issue makes it unattractive to a
commercial user.
Okay, technically a hobbyist couldn't legally run it either.
Technically.

Cheers

Geoff in Oz
Received on Wed Jul 11 2001 - 20:14:43 BST