IBM has foreseen the fall in mainframe revenue coming for quite some time. The lies about Linux on the mainframe being an IT saving technology, are finally being understood by the industry for the garbage they are. IBM has flat out lied around that technology and it finally caught up with them. Plus the pressure from x86 is overwhelming to the mainframe business. So, what does one do when in a death spiral? In this particular case, make moves to control it all . Those pesky partners just can't handle the market the way IBM can..don'cha know. They need to squeeze every dime out of mainframe customers from now until whenever. No need to pay a percentage if you can kill partners instead....

How in the hell is it "unfair" that these companies are no longer in the business of competing against IBM with IBM's own product? Perhaps they should feel lucky that they lasted as long as they did.

As an example, think about this:

Let's say you're a race car driver - this is a source of income for you. Now, let's say I would like to race as well. One bright sunny morning, I knock on your door, and demand that you allow me to take your research and development, at a fraction of what you spent actually doing the work, and build my own car that looks, feels, and has interchangeable parts with yours. You figure, well, what could it hurt, and allow me to do so. Over the next few years, you continue to invest in R&D, while I live off of the information I got on fire sale from you earlier. One day, you bring out a new, radically redesigned, fast car. I cry foul, since it's not fair you won't sell your R&D to me again - "But how can I compete?"

If you want to compete, you're free to do so. You cannot, however, expect that you can compete against me with my own product that I am forced to license you against my will - that's theft.

When will these big bullies learn?

IBM have been trying to kill their mainframe business for years, despite the money they extort for it, now they're getting back to their old dirty tricks against the smaller guys. I was a big supporter of IBM against SCO, but not here.

If IBM are the school yard bully, and they will know all too well themselves whether they are or not, then BIg Blue's days are numbered for bullies are always easily dealt with as they are always just basically cowards.

The mainframe surely IS Dead as a Dodo, for the Grid and Desktops InterNetworking have rendered it a dinosaur and obsolete.

The King is Dead... Long Live the King. ...... who would be the Desktops Internetworking Beta .... which is Open Source @ ITs Best, no matter what Operating System.

The Network is the Computer and ITs InterNetworking is AI Quantum Leap 42 Create a Global Operating Device Par XXXXCellence.

Perhaps futile to reply to a half-bot, but mainframes have a lot of life left in them yet. They're about physical consolidation, centralisation and reliability over the power of convoluted cluster solutions which have never been in the interests of (stupid) corporate IT directors.