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The Mainframe Still Lives!

Posted by Zonk on from the gets-knocked-down-they-get-up-again-etc dept.

coondoggie passed us a NetworkWorld blog post about the incredible rock-em-sock-em mainframe. Knocked frequently in recent years, the site notes that IBM's workhorse continues to do important work in a number of enterprise environments. "While there are some out there who'd like to see its demise, a true threat to the Big Iron has never really amounted to much. Even today, the proponents of commodity boxes offering less expensive x86/x64 or RISC technologies say the mainframe is doomed. But the facts say otherwise. For example, IBM recently said the mainframe has achieved three consecutive quarters of growth, marked by new customers choosing the platform for the first time and existing customers adding new workloads, such as Linux and Java applications."

14 of 372 comments (clear)

  1. That's no mainframe by yada21 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mainframe? Don't you mean a high capacity, legacy compatible application server?

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    I will have a sig when the market demands it.
    1. Re:That's no mainframe by Hognoxious · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just a guess, do you work in marketing?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  2. It's all over, though, as soon as someone... by msauve · · Score: 3, Funny

    comes out with an object-oriented RPG and 9 track tape drive for a micro.

    (and no, newbie, "RPG" does _not_ stand for "role playing game.")

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:It's all over, though, as soon as someone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      (and no, newbie, "RPG" does _not_ stand for "role playing game.")
      Of course not, it stands for "Rocket Propelled Grenade", although why you would want an object-oriented RPG is beyond me.
    2. Re:It's all over, though, as soon as someone... by blacklint · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, what else would you orient your rocket propelled grenade at? Not hitting anything wouldn't be any fun.

  3. Imagine... by LaminatorX · · Score: 4, Funny
    Can you imagine a Beo...

    No, I'm sorry. I just cant do it.

    1. Re:Imagine... by n6kuy · · Score: 4, Funny

      But, does it run Li....

      Oh wait.

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      If you disagree with me on social issues, then it's pretty clear that you are a narrow-minded bigot.
    2. Re:Imagine... by feedmetrolls · · Score: 1, Funny

      In Soviet Russ...

      What is with us today?

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  4. Re:Brought to you by the by ls671 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I agree, my low cost "mainframe" is a quad core packed with RAM and running a bunch of VMware.

    Mainframes have been running VMs for years.

    With more powerful PCs, virtualization is now possible with PCs.

    I tend to enjoy virtualization, it saves a bunch of money in deployment, management, maintenance, backup procedures, etc., etc. compared to having 12 physical servers to maintain when you can all run it on one piece of hardware (depending on your use case of course).

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    Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
  5. Misleading article by dangitman · · Score: 4, Funny

    a NetworkWorld blog post about the incredible rock-em-sock-em mainframe.

    I clicked on the link, but did not see any photos of mainframes fighting each other to the death. It wasn't even mentioned in the text! I want my money back.

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
  6. Re:Guess I'm too young by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, yes you are young. Perhaps a better definition for you would go thusly:

    If it takes Chuck Norris a round house kick to destroy, instead of a simple side kick, then its a mainframe.

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    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
  7. Re:What is a mainframe, anyway? by kestasjk · · Score: 5, Funny

    It has to be big, insecure, have a big vent in the ceiling, be protected by inept guards with MP5s, eye scans, and laser beams, and have a 3D user interface that says "Access Denied" in big, big letters.

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    // MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
  8. Re:Still going strong... by Nefarious+Wheel · · Score: 2, Funny
    IBM:

    It Beats Me (General)

    I've Been Moved (IBM Internal)

    Itty Bitty Machines (CDC)

    IBM, UBM, we all BM for IBM (David Gerrold, "When Harley Was One")

    --
    Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
  9. Re:Brought to you by the by dintech · · Score: 4, Funny

    Years? More like decades. IBM more or less invented virtualization back in the 60s for the System/390, and it lives on today as z/VM.

    Great! I smell an Amazon patent brewing...