[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       sas-l
Subject:    Re: mainframes (UGH)
From:       Melvin Klassen <Klassen () UVIC ! CA>
Date:       1999-10-30 2:09:46
[Download RAW message or body]

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999 02:09:06, "rimerar" <rimerar@gateway.net> wrote:

> I just started working for a large pharmaceutical corporation

How did they get to be "large" ?
Have they already studied the cost-effectiveness of various
methodologies of using centralized/distributed computing?

> and I am dumbfounded that they still do all their SAS programming
> on an IBM mainframe (SAS version 6.09).

Those mainframers license one copy of the SAS software.

They hire system-programmers to apply the latest fixes
(Y2K, security, performance, and other) to the Operating System,
to apply updates to the SAS software, to take regular backups,
to perform capacity-planning to determine when to upgrade the
hardware.

They provide a central repository for all the lines of SAS statements
which you write (just in case you leave their employment,
or take a vacation, and nobody knows the password to your PC),
and they formulate and test a disaster-recovery plan.

You could license your own copy of the SAS software;
you could be your own hardware-technician,
system-programmer, code-librarian, and data administrator;
you should be doing your own backups;
and it's your problem if/when your hard-drive crashes.

Suddenly, the mainframe seems to have some advantages.

Correct?

> I am just amazed at this attitude.  They even tried to convince me
> that the mainframe environment is more productive.  What dinosaurs!

Who won the battles in Jurassic Park?  The dinosaurs.  :-)

> Why do these people refuse to take advantage of the latest technology?

Mainframes, like PCs, are now air-cooled.
Mainframes now use RAID disk-technology, just like high-end PCs.
So, the hardware they use is "state-of-the-art".

> Does anyone share my feelings?  What are the best responses
> to people like this?  I'd like to convince the co that it is in their
> best interest to switch to PCs or Unix.

How much money will be need to retrain those workers?
How much "productivity" will they lose while being trained?
How much new computer-hardware will be purchased?
How many SAS licenses will be needed?

((posted and mailed))

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]