AS/400 Turns 27

From CYBRA CEO, Harold Brand

Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of the announcement of the AS/400.  An opportunity for sharing a bit of nostalgia.

In 1988, CYBRA was almost 3 years old.  As IBM Business Partners, we were invited to IBM HQ in Manhattan for the June 21 special announcement of the project that had been up until then code named “SilverLake”.  We didn’t know what to expect other than that this would be earth shaking.  As the news unfolded, I had goose bumps.  For me it was one of the most exciting experiences in my professional career.  A machine that was the love child of the S/38 with its phenomenal architecture and the S/36 with its smooth ease of use.  As soon as the announcement speeches were done, we ordered an AS/400 on the spot.  A model B10.

CYBRA was located in the Bronx at the time.  We had just moved into our new offices at 1 Riverdale Avenue and we set aside a space for the new machine alongside our IBM System/36.  When CYBRA took delivery on the B10 a short while later it was the first AS/400 in the Bronx.  And one of the first AS/400s period.

Our IBM System Engineer showed up when the box arrived and watched us set it up.  He was just an observer since he had never seen an AS/400 before and was curious.

And as they say, the rest is history…

In the IT Jungle publication, Tim Morgan also gets all nostalgic about how it is still, today, the best architected business machine on the planet.  Check it out:  http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062215-story01.html