I personally know of no major government AS/400 / iSeries accounts. I'm sure there are probably some squirreled away somewhere, but none are members of IBM's Large User Group, for instance.
The main install base of these systems is in distribution/manufacturing companies, insurance companies and the hospitlity industry. Examples include Costco, Nintendo, Allstate, Disney resorts and just about every Las Vegas casino. One chief iSeries customer (after a failed migration to MS-SQL Server)is Microsoft.
Right now, the pSeries (AIX) and the iSeries on Power5 are basically the same box. They are both manufactured on the same line from almost entirely the same componants in Rochester, MN.
What's more, the install base is fiercely loyal and always have been. These people are rarely forced to remain on the iSeries. Instead, managent sometimes forces them off (which ike the Microsoft case is usually a long term bad decision).
Frankly, if you want the most technologically advanced business computer available, buy an iSeries (starting at about $15k)!
The margins on PCs are so low that Big Blue doesn't see any future in it. The cost of designing a new line causes that margin to shrink even more.
Part of IBM is smart; they're getting out of the hardware business and morphing into a service provider, where they can make big $$$. The stupid part of IBM (the mini/mainframe side) is still trying to charge $200k for an AS/400 --- sorry, "iServer" --- that is comparable to a $5k HP Linux box.
I guess if you're stuck with your Cobol program (Do you even have the source? No?), then you can take it like a man.
I think you are missing the value proposition of the iSeries. IBM is unifying it's hardware behind servers. Dsktops and laptops don't fit.
While the acquistion cost of an iSeries is more than some comparable platforms, its total cost of ownership is much less.
But more than that, that $200k machine can probably replace a farm of other servers. It can be partioned into Linux, i5/OS (which is probably the most object oriented OS ever and includes an integrated database), AIX and even disk hosting for Windows.
It brings to all these the ability to move resources dynamically between partitions, and even to temporarily request additional CPU.
It has incredibly easy to use backup and recovery, and at least on the i5 side, undefeatable security and invulnerability to viruses (similar to zSeries).
Further, the underlying arcitecure can be completely changed without affecting applications (AS/400 went from 48 to 64 bit back in the early 90's without a single recompile, for example).
What IBM id driving towards is clear. They will sell solutions and a box to go with them. One box - no matter what your need. One box that can run whatever your solution needs.
It's a whole new model of computing. Hopefully, they'll market it better than OS/2!
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I personally know of no major government AS/400 / iSeries accounts. I'm sure there are probably some squirreled away somewhere, but none are members of IBM's Large User Group, for instance. The main install base of these systems is in distribution/manufacturing companies, insurance companies and the hospitlity industry. Examples include Costco, Nintendo, Allstate, Disney resorts and just about every Las Vegas casino. One chief iSeries customer (after a failed migration to MS-SQL Server)is Microsoft. Right now, the pSeries (AIX) and the iSeries on Power5 are basically the same box. They are both manufactured on the same line from almost entirely the same componants in Rochester, MN. What's more, the install base is fiercely loyal and always have been. These people are rarely forced to remain on the iSeries. Instead, managent sometimes forces them off (which ike the Microsoft case is usually a long term bad decision). Frankly, if you want the most technologically advanced business computer available, buy an iSeries (starting at about $15k)!