It's IBM i Running on Power Systems
Date Posted: May 12, 2011 12:00 AM

This article is not intended to express my opinion or to solicit yours. It is not intended to be controversial or to be a complaint. It is a simple attempt to dispel confusion.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of bewilderment about what the current names of our hardware and operating system are. I'm going to tell you what they are.

The Simple Facts

The name of the operating system is: i

The name of the hardware platform is: Power Systems

You can call the operating system IBM i, and you can call the hardware IBM Power Systems if you like. This is no different from referring to a Camaro as a Chevrolet Camaro. Or a Big Mac as a McDonald's Big Mac. In the case of our operating system, prefixing the name with IBM helps clarify the term.

Many of you reading this will know these things already and may be wondering why I'm saying this, because this has been our name for more than three years now, and people are still unsure of what our name really is. In recent discussions, I've heard:

  1. The hardware is IBM i. It was iSeries, then System i, and now just i. False. IBM i is the operating system, not the hardware.
  2. IBM just changed the name again. False. The name was changed in 2008 and has not changed since.
  3. It's still iSeries, see I can prove it, it says so on (insert IBM web page here or IBM-supplied help file here). False. IBM does have documentation that is out of date, and IBM sometimes refers to the hardware when it really means the software.
  4. The operating system is called i/OS. False. That's Apple's operating system. Ours is just i. It does not include "OS" in the name.

This topic comes up frequently in online forums as well as at conventions. I know there's a high level of dissatisfaction about the name changes, and I know that many people continue to use older names by choice. But that's not what this article is about.

Many people honestly and genuinely don't know what our system is called today. The operating system is IBM i. And if you set out to buy new hardware to run IBM i, you'd buy IBM Power Systems. I hope that's clear.

And if you're one of the people who's reading this knowing full well what the system is and complaining about it as you read this, then get over it. For better or for worse, this is the name. Now, let's move on to a more interesting discussion!

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  • dougin@bridwell.net
    1 year ago
    May 14, 2011

    Kind of reminds me of a famous comedy routine...
    Abbott: "What's the name of your computer's operating system?"
    Costello: "i"

  • tips@scottklement.com
    1 year ago
    May 13, 2011

    EVERYONE: Once again, this article is not intended to be an opinion of whether you or I like the new name. And it's not intended to be a discussion of what people informally call the system within their shops. This article is only intended to clarify the name for those who are confused about what it is.

  • tra1295
    1 year ago
    May 12, 2011

    Great article Scott. We are all aware of this in our shop as well. Users continue to say AS400. What I can't understand is why so many IBM i worshipers get so upset over the usage of the former names.

  • rsprasath@indiatimes.com
    1 year ago
    May 12, 2011

    Also the terminology in the company when "i" is/was introduced plays a important.

    In 3 places I worked where they were introduced to the IBM midrange machine in the mid nineties. AS400 was the name of the system. It continues even nowadays even if the machine runs V6R1 and above. The old email groups still remain like "AS400 Systems Technology", "AS400 Operations support", "AS400 Developers" which will just percolate the terminology among non-IT folks.

    In the current place I work, AS400 was introduced in early years of this millenium and hence it is known as "i5" still. So the email address grouping is "i5 Ops", "i5 Technologists" etc.

    You would not beleive this.
    When I was switching jobs in mid 2010 and had my resume posted, I did the mistake of making my resume reflect the latest terminology for our platform.
    My work history was like this
    Company D -> Mid 2007 to Mid 2010
    Company C -> Mid 2004 to Mid 2007
    Company B -> Mid 2000 to Mid 2004
    Company A ->1997- mid 2000

    During the each section I noted the latest terminolgy for the machine and operating system that I have worked on.
    COMPANY D- IBM i V6R1
    COMPANY C - System i V5R2
    COMPANY B - i5, iSeries V3R7-V4R5
    COMPANY A - AS400

    An idiot recruiter who called me wanted to confirm if I really worked on the AS400 and whether I am familiar with it. I was stunned because he said that as per my resume I stopped working on the "AS400" since 2000. Then he asked me what System i and IBM i was? He told he is going to edit the resume and indicate AS400 all along.

    I was so upset with the guy who is recruiting me that I told him that I am not interested.

  • Quigs
    1 year ago
    May 12, 2011

    I agree consistency helps. I'm amused that Ira can state "Long live i!", give his website link, and then state "AS/400 Credit Card Software." (Amusement aside, I don't mean to knock Curbstone's product. It's a very nice piece of software--I wish we had it instead of a competing product--and a great company.) But I understand that they need to market the product in an easily recognizable way.


    @mschmeige
    I think your frustration comes from a minor technicality in Scott's article. Calling the operating system IBM i instead of simply "i" is different that saying McDonald's Big Mac instead of simply "Big Mac." "Big Mac", while it has a few other meanings is primarily associated with the hamburger by McDonalds. On the other hand the single letter i will always be associated primarily as the nominative singular pronoun used to refer to oneself.


    - - - - - -


    That said, we should quit complaining because, like it or not, it ("i") is the name of IBM's OS. It's their company, they can call it whatever they like. Anyone who thinks they can do better is welcome to start their own company and name things however they like.

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