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Where Will IBM Drop Windows?
TurboProp writes "An article by the Associated Press on Friday (1/09/2004) Says that IBM has plans to abandon Microsoft operating systems on it's internal desktops by the end of 2005. The news originated from an internal IBM memo published by the Inquirer, a British technology news site. Further stories from the Inquirer, indicate that IBM May already have begun dumping windows. While this all bodes well for Linux users, and would seem to be a good PR move for IBM, executives at IBM seem to be trying frantically to put a much milder spin on the story. They say that the memo was taken out of context. I really can't imagine why they wouldn't be posting it on billboards."
...that SCO cut them a great deal on Linux desktop licenses, and IBM just couldn't refuse!
Is that they do it at the prom and it is really embarassing for Microsoft.
Heh... I misread that headline as: "Where Did IBM leave OS/2?"
They should have done that when they launched OS Warp almost 10 years ago - instead, they pre-installed Windows everywhere - from their retail machines to their own network. OS2 Warp was technologically speaking more advanced than other flavors of Windows of the time.
What were they thinking???
..as would any organisation. No matter how much we might want them to get rid of Windows, they will only do so in areas it makes sense to do so.
In all likelihood, I would suspect that the vast majority of their servers already run Linux... Domino runs on Linux (and has for a while), and most of their webservers are likely to run Linux.
However, while desktops may get replaced, I would think that the engineers would be a prime target for Linux desktops well before, say, secretaries. But I wouldn't think it impossible that "where appropriate" will include Ms. Jane Q. Secretary in another year or two...
libertarianswag.com
First off, they won't be dropping it on their desktop or laptop lines anytime soon, so consumers can feel safe IBM is not abandoning them; Windows has a huge stake in IBM's business. However, it wouldn't surprise me to see IBM begin to try a move to desktops among their own company; however, I can state for fact this is nowhere near the implementation stage, there are a lot of barriers before this will become full-fledged across the number. IBM is too big a player to abandon Windows fully, but they may be making a little bit of a political statement in full support of their desktop, especially in light of the SCO case. IBM has their hands in so many honey pots, there should be no worries that the next ThinkPad you will get will be Linux-only.
Enjoy their linux commerical here.
Yep!
AC
Not sure why IBm is pussyfooting arond on this one either, unless it's to make sure they don't piss off Microsoft so they'll be penalized in the retail or business support sector. Who knows why they're pussyfooting around with this.
You just like saying that word, don't you? : )
You can't take the sky from me...
I remember when it was Multimedia. Now it's open source. So why are we celebrating that IBM is using new hype words to motivate its workers?
So what about their past sins?
I really can't imagine why they wouldn't be posting it on billboards.
IBM does *billions* of dollars of business selling Windows systems, and this declaration would be tantamount to throwing that all away.
The first rule for growing a business is to preserve the existing business above all else. Then you can figure out a way to obtain new business opprtunistically with an alternative offering.
If IBM drops Windows and adopts a Linux desktop, they're no longer tied to the x86 architecture. Of course, all the machines they have will still be useful, but what chip does IBM design and fabricate?
PowerPC
Now, I don't expect anything to happen immediately, but with the 970 aimed firmly at the desktop market, having a Linux desktop sure would make hardware migration a lot simpler--essentially transparent to the end-user...
There are two reasons why IBM would be juditious in how public they make this. The first big reason is IBM and M$ have a strained relationship to say the least. The big bit of control M$ uses to manipulate PC vendors to do their will is windows and office licensing. Even if you are IBM or Dell if M$ decides to pull your dirt cheap licensing of windows and office and make you pay like they do all the little people your bottom line just got crushed. IBM most likely has no interest in seeing one of there cash crops get killed and knows M$ would tolerate misbehaivor from them least of all their big partners. The seccond reason is IBMs server business is becoming more and more dependant on Linux and its related technologies. Even though desktop and server Linux tech are not always related, IE what is good for a big server is not always good on my PC and the other way around, and sometimes the same thing is good on both, a failure is a failure. If they have to back pedal and go to windows again for any reason its a failure for Linux and PHBs will hear about it. The conversation will go like this.
"We want to sell you this Linux server."
"I heared you guys tried Linux and had to swich back, why would I want to go through that."
"No we use Linux on lots of server systems its desktops that we had to go back to windows for."
"So windows works better then I want a windows server!"
"No Linux is a better server OS most of the time."
"I am calling HP bye."
If I was IBM I would much rather make the swich under the radar incase things don't work out and then tell the world what a great success the swich has been if it does. If not then it never happend.
Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
My company uses two IBM-owned Windows-based products: Lotus Notes and Clearcase. (Yes, it is appropriate to feel sorry for me now) Will IBM continue to develop and support these products for Windows? Certainly. But will IBM but less priority on those products now that they're almost certainly not going to be using them in-house to the same degree? It's possible.
My company and many others don't want to hear that IBM is de-prioritizing their Windows products, and that's why IBM isn't making such a big deal out of this.
They're "pussyfooting around" and not "posting it on billboards" because they might not achieve the target. How many IT projects fail or overrun badly, even at IBM do you think?
So what becomes a tough internal target to meet can become a PR failure for a product they're trying to push.
"We're increasingly using Linux on our own desktops" is good.
"We're now using Linux on all our desktops" is great.
"Weren't you going to have Linux on all your systems by now? What happened to that?" is a disaster.
The real Ralph Yarro posts as Anonymous Coward. Anyone else is an impostor.
IBM is dropping Windows because it is a good business move not as a gimmick. They are not trying to impress Slashdot or open themselves up to abuse.
IBM is simply too big to not sell Windows so they don't want to make this rude. IBM needs to make money from the whole market to support IBM. They do not want the more childish Linux Element posting to the web every time they see a non Linux machine in the hands of one of their reps.
The move is hugely important because it will help them hammer out all the kinks in their understanding of the software. It will help them see where business oportunities lie, more than anything else. They will then be in a position to share how they do it with the rest of the world.
They are not doing it to insult Microsoft. They are doing it because they have more control and bigger margins when they sell Linux.
IBM will run _all_ prevalent operating systems as long as there is an IBM. They are just too big not to.
LS
From a pro-Linux perspective, the worst thing that could happen here is for IBM to publically commit to Linux on the desktop by 2005 throughout its organization and fail to deliver on that promise. Think of all the organizations considering Linux desktop deployments that would think, "Well damn, if IBM failed, what are our chances then?"
Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
I believe this was taken out of context.
IBM is a thousand companies within another. Each with seperate financials, goals, etc, etc...
This memo was issues to a select number of small groups within the company and was not indicitive of a company wide shift.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Pussyfooting
If you have pussyfoot, is it illegal to wear open-toed shoes?
Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
if Longhorn is delayed longer than the early 2006 the best estimates have as of now;
If Apple & IBM make the Mac the fastest desktop during those years ( think dual core PPC980 based G6 @ starting >3.5 Ghz by this time in 2005 );
If Apple continues making OS X better at the same level and gets to true 64 bit-ness in time;
I think Apples market share will grow to 15~20% by the time Longhorn arrives.
A year ago, no one could even see Apple where it is now. They were universally dismissed as a cult and a joke. Now IMO they have the greatest mind share in computing right now, and it's only going to get better. HP decided to switch than fight the iPod, and if others get on that bandwagon, look out. Apple may actually win this time.
Remember tho, it's all about profit.
G5 sales are a nice feather in IBM's cap, but Apple makes the money when a G5 goes over the counter. The R&D is more what IBM is interested in, they get to use lessons learned in their POWER line.
That's where they'd like to be making their money, in the high-margin low-quantity areas like server clusters and high availability.
Maybe someone here who's read IBM's SEC filings can tell us where their money actually comes from.. The PC business must move a lot of machines, but I'm forced to wonder if there's any profit in it at all, the market being as cutthroat as it is.
Heh, and don't forget to include Java as a platform IBM can fall back on, they've put a lot into WebSphere.
Will IBM start selling notebooks without the microsoft tax too? And with fully linux compatible hardware?
True genius is grasping a situation like a peice of fruit, and peircing it just right so that it drains dry.
First off, nobody moves 300,000 desktops in one year. You retire maybe 20% per year and refresh them with new machines that can contain a new OS.
Next you have to insure that all of your custom desktop apps are rewritten OR - run under Wine or VM32.
Then you have to create a build and tune it for your network.
Then you have to push all of the legacy apps maintenance to sunset their own apps. You will need to do this for several years unless you plan on migrating entire business divisions at once.
Then and this a BIG thing, you need to train a desktop support infrastructure to maintain it. That includes break/fix, troubleshooting and helpdesk.
And Oh - you also need to develop national language support for all the desktop code, world wide in about 20 different languages including DBCS support and all the supporting documentation.
Where I work, IBM makes loadsamoney on:
* Mainframes, mainframe software and mainframe support. DASD. Backup equipment (ATLs)
* RS6000s of various flavours (pSeries NUMA machines are $$$)
* AS400 still has a strong presence
* WebSphere (and MQ / MQ Integrator), DB2.
* Lotus Notes!
* Services - they charge mountains of cash if you want to outsource something to them. Ask them to tender, and weep. Then pay.
We don't use IBM PCs.
I reckon IBM make most of their cash in low volume / high margin. Linux is probably a way to turn the desktop into high volume / medium margin (support).
Yours Sincerely, Michael.
Erm.
IBM has never been big on selling software. They are fairly OS agnostic.
They see OSes for what they are: tools to get the job done with the hardware you have. This is why they have such a large girth of OSes that they deal with: MacOS, Linux, AS/400, Windows. They don't give a damn what their customers do with the hardware they purchase from IBM, they just want the customers to be productive with their products.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Or perhaps more likely, if the plans fail (and they very well could), they don't want the negative press associated with that. It's probably better for them to quitely try to switch over, and if it works, then loudly boast about it to the press then. The last thing IBM would want to do in this case would be to prove Microsoft's FUD about Linux.
I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.
SOunds very familiar.
:
... your statements sound alot like someting a decade ago involving new risc more powerfull powerpc's and powermacs vs delays in WIndows95 called chicago back then.
... then and maybe then %20 of all new pc will be risc powerpc based with macOS/OS/2 real soon!
"IMO it depends on three things
if Longhorn is delayed longer than the early 2006 the best estimates have as of now;
If Apple & IBM make the Mac the fastest desktop during those years ( think dual core PPC980 based G6 @ starting >3.5 Ghz by this time in 2005 );
If Apple continues making OS X better at the same level and gets to true 64 bit-ness in time;
I think Apples market share will grow to 15~20% by the time Longhorn arrives.
"
Flashback to 94/95
1.) If Chicago aka Windows95 is delayed longer and summer 1995 is the best estimate.
2.) If apple made clones and increased its marketshare
3.) IBM continues to make os/2 available to the mac and powerpc for true 32-bit trueness
4.)If Motorolla gets those powerfull 604 processors and makes them 133mhz by 1996
I hated MS with alot more passion back then because their products were much much more flakier and unbearable back then. Does anyone remember how to get out of an infinite loop in Windows 3.1?
Hit the reset button. What if it took 5 minutes to log in due to a crappy network configuration? 3 infinite loops in your program cost you 15 minutes of time! incredible! This was my highschool by the way a decade ago.
I assumed the world would switch to OS/2 and MacOS to escape this hell that is Windows/DOS and these primptive CISC processors.
You know what?
THe world chose Windows and pentiums got faster. Same will happen here. It already is happening with AMD64.
Windows will be here forever and ever and will never go away. Not to sound trollish but how many million upon billions of VB code and MCF C++ code is lyeing around offices world wide? How many corps invested millions to upgrade their networks for Active Directory?
As hobbiests its one thing But IBM cores market is WIndows and they want a single platform they can support. Now which will have they chose already? You get the picture.
Same in 94 and same in 2004! Hell more so today with legacy Windows systems around.
They do not want Linux. Companies use Linux secretly or because they need stability or security. WIndows is improving and with palladium will be secure enough to kick it out. Stability wise Windows2k and 2k3 are as stable as Unix. Ask anyone who adminstered any MS boxes. Yes NT4 was not.
IBM needs Windows and will be hurt without it. Why oh why did they make that horrible deal with Microsoft 25 years ago? why?? They are still stuck and can not leave.
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