Microsoft .NET technology and IBM ion Power Systems have been used together now for several years, and Richard Schoen has been discussing the combination for the duration–and recently brought the subject up again at a recent Omni User meeting in Chicago.
Schoen realizes that the topic is not mainstream, mainly because Microsoft and IBM don’t agree about many aspects of the combination. As he sees it, “running Windows natively on Power Systems machines being a perfect example. This is a constantly festering wound that won’t heal. We all know Windows could be made to run on Power-based servers. No less of a source than Frank Soltis will tell you the reason there’s no Windows on Power boxes is political, not technical, and that the two companies have talked about it to no avail. And the result is that anytime a company makes a decision to use .NET, there will be a Windows server involved, not an IBM i machine.”