When I was working for the world's largest software company (I've left, and no, it's not Microsoft, despite what most prople think), I developed a tool during the Y2K bizzo, that saved their spotty white arse, internationally, big-time.
I know for certain they don't have the source code (I made sure). I can neither confirm nor deny whether I have the source code, but I feel, in my bones, that I could probably re-create the source code (PL/I, by the way) in about 5 minutes. Maybe I'm a fast typer with a good memory.
Unfortunately, now that Y2K is dead and buried, nobody cares. D'oh!
There's at least one other: DL/I (Data Language 1). It's the language one uses to access IBM's IMS databases. IMS was IBM's main DBMS before DB2 (that's why DB2 is called DB2 rather than, say, DB1 or DB3). IMS is a hierarchical DB, rather than relational. It's still IBM's main high performance DBMS (built for speed, definitely not for comfort).
I'm not too sure that this has ever been that big an issue for IBM. Internally, their standard 'office' software is Lotus SmartSuite. An IBMer must get special permission from their general manager if they want MS Office installed (well, they did hwen I was there up to 18 months ago). SmartSuite can easily read & write MS office format documents (better than OpenOffice can) even if the reverse isn't true.
So perhaps they're going to port Lotus WordPro, Freelance, 1-2-3, etc, to Linux. In the past, when IBM's standard desktop was OS/2, they had native versions of those products (and Notes), so it shouldn't be too hard.
"IBM has a subsid SME outsourcer named IBM GSA. IBM owns 1/3, Telstra owns 1/3."
Not quite. IBM owned about 50%, Telstra owned about 25%, and Lend Lease Owned about 25%.
Tellingly, both Lend Lease and Telstra have both taken (or will) their IT work back in-house. What does this say about IBM GSA when 2/3 of its owners won't even use it?
Having worked for IBM GSA (on the IBM account) for 7 years, I can see why. I wouldn't want to outsource to them either, and I bet IBM wishes it didn't have to. They suck.
Being a wholly-owned subsidiary of IBM, though, will benefit the poor suckers who work at IBM GSA because IBM looks after its people much better than the utterly clueless IBM GSA ever did.
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When I was working for the world's largest software company (I've left, and no, it's not Microsoft, despite what most prople think), I developed a tool during the Y2K bizzo, that saved their spotty white arse, internationally, big-time.
I know for certain they don't have the source code (I made sure). I can neither confirm nor deny whether I have the source code, but I feel, in my bones, that I could probably re-create the source code (PL/I, by the way) in about 5 minutes. Maybe I'm a fast typer with a good memory.
Unfortunately, now that Y2K is dead and buried, nobody cares. D'oh!
There's at least one other: DL/I (Data Language 1). It's the language one uses to access IBM's IMS databases. IMS was IBM's main DBMS before DB2 (that's why DB2 is called DB2 rather than, say, DB1 or DB3). IMS is a hierarchical DB, rather than relational. It's still IBM's main high performance DBMS (built for speed, definitely not for comfort).
I'm not too sure that this has ever been that big an issue for IBM. Internally, their standard 'office' software is Lotus SmartSuite. An IBMer must get special permission from their general manager if they want MS Office installed (well, they did hwen I was there up to 18 months ago). SmartSuite can easily read & write MS office format documents (better than OpenOffice can) even if the reverse isn't true.
So perhaps they're going to port Lotus WordPro, Freelance, 1-2-3, etc, to Linux. In the past, when IBM's standard desktop was OS/2, they had native versions of those products (and Notes), so it shouldn't be too hard.
"IBM has a subsid SME outsourcer named IBM GSA. IBM owns 1/3, Telstra owns 1/3."
Not quite. IBM owned about 50%, Telstra owned about 25%, and Lend Lease Owned about 25%.
Tellingly, both Lend Lease and Telstra have both taken (or will) their IT work back in-house. What does this say about IBM GSA when 2/3 of its owners won't even use it?
Having worked for IBM GSA (on the IBM account) for 7 years, I can see why. I wouldn't want to outsource to them either, and I bet IBM wishes it didn't have to. They suck.
Being a wholly-owned subsidiary of IBM, though, will benefit the poor suckers who work at IBM GSA because IBM looks after its people much better than the utterly clueless IBM GSA ever did.