Take a chance on me…Yes, I like ABBA!

It was many years ago, shortly after arriving in the U.S., that I moved to Boston and began my career in IT. If it wasn’t for the generosity of those prepared to give me a chance, I probably wouldn’t have had any opportunity to get a toehold on what was then considered an industry in its infancy.

Keydata Corporation, the first commercial time-sharing computer firm, was my very first employer in the US. Most of the processing was done in batch, with reports generated nightly. The businesses sent Keydata their daily transactions logs which we processed for them. There was nothing real time about it, as I recall.

Perhaps the concept of time-sharing and cloud computing differs by just that one fine point – cloud computing assumes real time processing, otherwise, conceptually, these are the same approaches to data processing! When you look back at early service bureau companies supporting time-sharing, they were just providing a big resource (for computing) with an archaic interface. Furthermore, they typically catered for just one type of client – either scientific, commercial or government.

The demise of Keydata’s time-share model came about when mini-computers entered the market and IT managers brought their applications in-house, wanting to have full control of the environment, including all the data. With cloud computing, IT managers can retain control over some parts of the application and data, while only farming out components to the cloud that they feel comfortable with running outside the shop!

Technology, like fashion, seems to be cyclical – centralized, decentralized, skinny jeans, bell bottoms … etc. However, this time around, I really do not think that the cloud model will disappear; it is a logical progression, considering ever growing databases and a need for processing power, that makes sense out of all the data we are capturing today. Cloud computing offers alternatives to when it is no longer practical to own and manage all the resources that are necessary from time to time; especially when setting up a data center for a department store in support of Black Friday’s rush or building out the resources for stock exchanges to be ready for a Facebook public offering. Would sure be nice, but the cost would be astronomical – in come public and private clouds, where you can burst (who came up with that allegory anyway?), in case of a dire need.

Where am I going with this? I think that the ability to take advantage of cloud computing should be an integral part of every platform, and I am glad maRunga is here to support the cloud computing model on HP NonStop! Yes, it’s new. Yes, it’s in its infancy in terms of addressing business problems, and it will be up to cloud evangelists to establish the models that will later influence everyone else. However, the evangelists are out there, and it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who has been around NonStop to see the NonStop platform becoming involved.

The decision to develop maRunga was made because we knew these evangelists are out there and so, once again, I am looking forward to renewing the cycle of where, in my own experiences, someone comes to help me out and gives us the chance!

If it’s June then it’s time for HPE Discover 2021.

For the NonStop community there has always been an annual event that proved hard to resist; with changing times these events are virtual – but can we anticipate change down the road? Just recently Margo and I chose to return home via US Highway 129. It may not ring any bells, but for those who prefer to call it the Tail of the Dragon – 318 curves in 11 miles – it represents the epitome of mountain excitement. For Margo and me, having now driven the tail in both directions, driving hard through all these turns never gets old. Business took us to Florida for an extended week of meetings that were mostly conversations. Not everything went to plan and we didn’t get to see some folks, but just to have an opportunity to hit the road and meet in person certainly made the 4,500 miles excursion worthwhile. The mere fact that we made touring in a roadster work for us and we were comfortable in doing so, well, that was a real trick with a car better suited to day trips. This is all just...

The folly that was Tandem Computers and the path that led me to NonStop ...

With the arrival of 2018 I am celebrating thirty years of association with NonStop and before that, Tandem Computers. And yes, a lot has changed but the fundamentals are still very much intact! The arrival of 2018 has a lot of meaning for me, but perhaps nothing more significant than my journey with Tandem and later NonStop can be traced all the way back to 1988 – yes, some thirty years ago. But I am getting a little ahead of myself and there is much to tell before that eventful year came around. And a lot was happening well before 1988. For nearly ten years I had really enjoyed working with Nixdorf Computers and before that, with The Computer Software Company (TCSC) out of Richmond Virginia. It was back in 1979 that I first heard about Nixdorf’s interests in acquiring TCSC which they eventually did and in so doing, thrust me headlong into a turbulent period where I was barely at home – flying to meetings after meetings in Europe and the US. All those years ago there was ...

An era ends!

I have just spent a couple of days back on the old Tandem Computers Cupertino campus. Staying at a nearby hotel, this offered me an opportunity to take an early morning walk around the streets once so densely populated with Tandem Computers buildings – and it was kind of sad to see so many of them empty. It was also a little amusing to see many of them now adorned with Apple tombstone markers and with the Apple logo splashed liberally around. The photo at the top of this posting is of Tandem Way – the exit off Tantau Avenue that leads to what was once Jimmy’s headquarters building. I looked for the Tandem flag flying from the flagpole – but that one has been absent for many years now. When I arrived at Tandem in late ’88 I have just missed the “Billion Dollar Party” but everyone continued to talk about it. There was hardly an employee on the campus not wearing the black sweatshirt given to everyone at the party. And it wasn’t too long before the obelisk, with every employee’s signature...

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