[oclug] IBM was Re: SuSE Powered Cray Supercomputer (Scott Moynes)

[charles.macdonald at hrdc-drhc.gc.ca]

> > Rubbish.  You were right a year ago:
> > 
> > http://newsforge.com/newsforge/02/05/15/216255.shtml?tid=3
> > 
> "IBM was the top seller of Linux servers for the whole of 2002, raking
> in $759 million in Linux server hardware revenue - almost 40% of the
> market. Meanwhile, HP and Dell came in second and third place,
> respectively in Linux server sales."
> 
> http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/linux/2003/0303linux2.html
> 

I seem to recall 6 Months ago, IBM sayingthat they had already paid back their Linux Investment, just in extra sales, Particularly for the "z-Server" (s-390 mainframe).

What Linux lets them do is sell a mainframe, with an extra CPU that is rigged so it will olny run Linux.  That is a CPU they might not have sold otehrwise, in fact it can be a mainframe that they might not have sold.  This gets them sales from SUN and HP (HP-UX/DEC class servers) customers.

BY keeping the mainframe buisiness healthy, it helps both their Hardware and service business.  If you have a PC you can swap it out if there is a problem, if you have a mainframe, the IBM guy has to come out regularly.  (they even have a modem dedicated to calling for service built in)

BTW- IBM will guite happily sell you a package to keep your HP/Dell/whatever commuters admined and running.  Naturaly they would perfer to sell you nice IBM boxes with it, but they have run ads saying how they can make anything run together.

Oh and I am typing this on an IBM, box with an IBM Mouse - The mouse says "made for IBM" "China"