[reversethrust]

As for the whole discussion about IBM's involvement with "cloud" - I guess it depends a bit on how you define it. AIX first started virtualization on a large scale years ago, didn't they? And since AIX 5, wasn't every AIX instance an LPAR? PowerVM / VMControl had the essential features of the cloud - virtualization, metering, billing, partition mobility, etc. It was just never marketed in the high volume, low margin way that the public cloud providers are marketing. But, I guess, even then, due to internal politics and protecting their teams, PowerVM and VMControl became like beasts. Software that was produced (E.g. SmartCloud), by edict, had to use it, and those additional layers became a nightmare.

So, I think it's wrong to say that IBM didn't pursue things on the cloud front. There was some work on it. But the execs - not the worker bees - certainly screwed that pooch. And it'll be the execs getting the bonuses for courageously reorganizing their departments too.