From: furballs@sequent.com (Paul Penrod)
Subject: Re: Trade rag tidbits of interest to Windows and OS/2 advocates.
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 07:20:51 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.050505.17011@fcom.cc.utah.edu> brian@jaguar.cs.utah.edu (Brian Sturgill) writes:
>

[RISC stuff deleted]

>[PC Week; October 5, 1992; Page 148]
>WINDOWS, OOP INCREASE IN POPULARITY
>Survey: 40 Percent of Software Firms Are Developing for Windows
>	By Jane Morrissey
>
>A new survey of almost 800 software-industry CEOs shows that most
>software companies are moving quickly to embrace object-oriented
>programming and the Windows platform.
>...
>According to Ingari [Lotus VP], C++, an object-oriented programming
>language, "was the only language growing. It doubled in use in
>the last 12 months, [and respondents] said its use will double
>again in the next year."
>

That's nice, but CEO's don't usually write software..

OOP has it's place, but don't kid yourself it's a panacea just
because quite a few people are running that direction.

[stuff deleted]

>...
>-----------
>[PC Week; October 5, 1992; Page 146]
>IBM To Take $2.1 Billion Charge Associated with Buyout Program
>
>More than 40,000 IBM employees worldwide have accepted the
>company's voluntary-buyout program, about 8,000 more employees
>than IBM officials projected a month ago.
>
>As a result, the Armonk, N.Y., company will take a $2.1 billion
>pretax charge associated with the program during the second half
>of this year, company officials said last week.
>
>In July, IBM estimated that it would take a $1.2 billion charge;
>however, the increase in employees accepting the company's
>Individual Transition Option (ITO) program has promped the
>revision, officials said. Initially, IBM estimated that 20,000
>employees would accept the ITO.
>[ComputerWorld claimed that many employees fear the next time
>such an offer is made, that it would not be nearly as nice.]
>
>IBM also announced that it will take a $2.1 billion write-down to
>consolidate assests associated with its mainframe and
>semiconductor businesses. This chagre will be taken in the third
>quarter.
>
>Analysts said the latest charges, coupled with the continuing
>exodus of employees, could have a significant impact on IBM.
>
>"The fact that they felt ocmpelled to take thses actions only
>five months after they previously had said their ship was running
>at full steam indicates that the demand for the company's product
>is not good," said Ulric Weil, senior technology analyst for Weil
>& Associates, a consulting firm in Washington.
>
>"We have been led down the garden path before," Weil added. "This
>is the third year that they have said, `This is the last
>restructuring, we now have our house in order.' It's never been
>fully in order."
>...

I find it interesting that they do not mention which divisions are
suffering the losses. IBM is the world's largest computer company,
with many facets to it's operation. If they are going to throw
stones, at least identify the targets first, so we, the reader, can
make a valid assesment as to the real situation of whichever
product or service IBM offers that will be affected.

Some person reading this tidbit from an article is inevitably going
to read whatever they want to into it and start clamering about IBM
is in trouble and XXX product is going down the tubes, or YYY
service will be discontinued shortly.

BTW, this story appeared on the satellite news wire some time ago.
PC-WEEK needs to be more adroit at keeping up with what is
happening out there. IBM has already taken the hit in the stock
price and recovered from it.


-- 
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