S/36Doc (skating on thin ice)

From: ceby2_at_csc.com <(ceby2_at_csc.com)>
Date: Thu Jan 31 09:29:50 2002

Folks --

> I'm working on reviving a 5362 right now. Please reply
> off list with whatever persuasion is required to at
> least allow me the use of them. I'd be very happy to
> scan them all and make them available.

   While I am all for saving and scanning docs for older computers - I must
   say that this latest talk about scanning and making public relatively
   current IBM stuff is scary and dangerous. S/370(ish)s and S/36s are
   still
   out there, in suprising numbers. IBM has NOT given any permission for us
   to make the information public. Please, people, do not make this stuff
   public until IBM blesses it. They have been turning a blind eye in the
   classic computing world, but we would not want them to clamp down, would
   we? Lets wait a few years...anyway, S/36 and S/370 docs are fairly
   common.

   Now older IBMs - 650s, 1130s, and the like - are pretty much fair game,
   and I doubt IBM would really care. S/1s, S/3s, S/7s, S/88s, 8100s, and
   PC
   stuff, however, might cause problems.

   William Donzelli
   aw288_at_osfn.org

I won't speak for other systems, but IBM publishes nothing for the hardware
or original software on System/36 or System/38. The only reference they
make to it anymore is the emulated environment still available under
OS/400. I have a few contacts at IBM, and I've been in contact with their
publications people. I haven't broached the subject yet, but I believe IBM
like other vendors embraces it's history and will at least tacitly support
hobbyists. My own strategy with System/36 will be to create the electronic
media, then offer it to them as a _fait acompli_. I'm intending to ask them
to host the documents themselves. I don't believe they'll do so on their
publication website -- but IBM maintains a substantial forrest of FTP
servers it's used for 15 years or more to support it's sales partners and
field representatives. That seems a likely place to put them. I'm guessing
the real reason why these things aren't available is IBM didn't wish to
invest the time in maintaining them. They also wanted to encourage
migration. But hobbyist are a new and accomodating market. And I have a
certain amount of faith we'll see encouragement from them.

First things first though. I actually have to get a hold of the document
set. Irregardless of web availability, I'm sure an email in the right (my)
direction will yeild results, when there are results to yield :->~ nudge
nudge, wink wink, knowwhaddamean?!

Colin Eby
Senior Consultant
CSC Consulting
Received on Thu Jan 31 2002 - 09:29:50 GMT