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1997-04-06
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IBM Online Book Collection Kit Ordering Information and Licensed Books
Announced on April 1, 1997
SOFTWARE Announcement 297-090
Abstract
Overview
The method of delivering IBM Online Book Collection Kits through the
5636-PUB Library Offering is being evaluated to ensure customers
receive product information in the timeliest way. The delivery of
licensed books is also being evaluated.
The online book collection kits were designed to periodically deliver
IBM documentation on a subscription basis. However, since more
product information is being delivered as part of the product
shipment group, the frequency of updates for some of the collection
kits has become irregular.
Certain online book collection kits will be withdrawn from the
5636-PUB Library Offering in coming months. Other collection kits
will be evaluated for future withdrawal. No new collection kits will
be added to the 5636-PUB Library Offering.
Not all online libraries are offered through the 5636-PUB Library
Offering. Many are available only through the publication channels
of PUBORDER and System Library Subscription Service (SLSS), and some
are available as priced features. But everything delivered through
the 5636-PUB Library Offering is already available through the
publication channels.
Collection kits will no longer be used to deliver IBM licensed
documentation. Beginning first quarter 1997, the licensed files and
CD Showcase (R) materials will be removed from these collections:
o MVS (R) Collection Kit (SK2T-0710)
o Networking Collection Kit (SK2T-6012)
o VSE Collection Kit (SK2T-0060)
o Transaction Processing and Data Collection Kit (SK2T-0730)
The licensed files will ship to customers as part of the product
shipment group.
DESCRIPTION
The availability of many online book collection kits through the
5636-PUB Library Offering was announced in Software Announcement
292-450, dated August 25, 1992. This delivery method allows
customers to subscribe to collection kits through the software
fulfillment channel. Subscriptions are billed at a predetermined
annual fee, which is calculated by multiplying the PUBORDER and SLSS
single-issue price by the number of updates expected for the upcoming
year.
Since more information is being integrated with the product code and
online books are being delivered as priced features, the frequency of
updates for some of the announced collection kits is becoming
irregular. In order to preserve customer value, selected collection
kits will be individually withdrawn from the 5636-PUB Library
Offering in coming months. The specific kits targeted for initial
withdrawal from 5636-PUB are those collections that IBM considers
"value-add." These value-add collections provide optional,
value-added online documentation related to many different products
on various platforms. This documentation is not available separately
as part of any product shipment group. The remaining collection kits
that will be individually evaluated for future withdrawal from
5636-PUB are categorized as "entitled." Entitled publications deliver
information related to various products with base materials (5XXX),
one free copy (7XXX), and/or separately priced features (8XXX).
Below is a list of all collection kits currently offered through
5636-PUB and their respective category:
5636-PUB Library Offering
Value-Add Publication
Description or Entitled Features Number
Rainbow Value-Add 2031/5031 SK2T-2177
Messages and Value-Add 2033/5033 SK2T-2068
Codes
Hardware Value-Add 2034/5034 SK2T-5843
MVS Entitled 2001/5001 SK2T-0710
Networking Entitled 2003/5003 SK2T-6012
VSE Entitled 2007/5007 SK2T-0060
AS/400 (R) V2R3 Entitled 2009/5009 SK2T-8250
ImagePlus (R) Entitled 2021/5021 SK2T-2131
TP&D Entitled 2023/5023 SK2T-0730
VM Entitled 2100/5100 SK2T-2067
AS/400 V3R0.5 Entitled 2108/5108 SK2T-2171
AS/400 V3R6 Entitled 2110/5110 SK2T-2839
AS/400 V3R1 Entitled 2118/5118 SK2T-2171
AS/400 V3R2 Entitled 2120/5120 SK2T-2171
Not all value-add online libraries are offered through the 5636-PUB
Library Offering. Many are available only through the publication
channels of PUBORDER and SLSS, and some are available as priced
features with the product shipment group. Removal of these
collections from the 5636-PUB Library Offering will provide a
consistent means for customers to order all IBM value-add online
library collections. The publication channels also afford the
flexibility of swift pricing actions such as period discounts and
discounted BOFs (bill of forms). And, as previously mentioned,
honoring an established price predicated on an accurate forecast of
expected updates has proven difficult for some kits whose updates
have become irregular. SLSS subscriptions are invoiced on a
per-order basis.
No new collection kits will be added to the 5636-PUB Library
Offering. Further notification will be provided as individual kits
are withdrawn. Announcements will be distributed to all existing
U.S. users recommending that they establish an SLSS subscription
(SLSS FNO -- Form Number Only) (or add to an existing subscription)
for each of the kit publication numbers they want to receive in lieu
of their 5636-PUB subscription.
The decision to withdraw entitled collections from the 5636-PUB
Library Offering will follow similar logic. These kits are already
delivered with various products in the U.S. as base materials (5XXX),
one free copy (7XXX), and/or separately priced features (8XXX).
Actions will be taken to ensure continuous delivery to customers
currently subscribing through 5636-PUB. The suggested method to
subscribe for additional quantities is again, SLSS FNO. Many of the
same benefits described for value-add kits through the publication
channels also apply to additional copies of entitled kits, namely,
consistent ordering channel, possible discounting, and per-order
invoicing.
This announcement coincides with the IBM Information Development
strategy to deliver entitled product information with the product
code shipment. Many value-add collections will continue to be
delivered on quarterly release schedules but will not be required as
a function of the annual license charge pricing policy currently in
effect for the 5636-PUB Library Offering. Developers may exercise
discretion and latitude in formulating new releases based on the
extent of product activity between update intervals.
Removal of Licensed Books from Online Library Collections
IBM Software Announcement 294-431, dated July 12, 1994, stated that
IBM would begin to ship licensed files on CD-ROM collection kits.
The licensed files would be encrypted with CD Showcase. Since that
announcement, four collection kits have used CD Showcase to ship
licensed documentation. Those collections are the MVS Collection Kit
(SK2T-0710), the Networking Collection Kit (SK2T-6012), the VSE
Collection Kit (SK2T-0060), and the Transaction Processing and Data
Collection Kit (SK2T-0730). Beginning first quarter 1997, the
licensed files and CD Showcase materials will be removed from these
collections.
IBM intends to remove all licensed files from the four collections by
second quarter 1997. The long-term goal is to reduce the amount of
information that needs to be licensed. For the short term, the
licensed information will continue to be shipped to the customer, but
in a manner that coincides with the IBM Information Development
strategy to deliver entitled product information with the product
code shipment. Some products may unlicense their previously licensed
information; some may ship the licensed books on the same media as
the code; others may choose to create a licensed product CD-ROM that
contains the unencrypted licensed documentation for the product; some
legacy products, however, may choose to ship the licensed books in
hardcopy format only.
For a summary of how licensed information will be delivered for
products formerly supported by CD Showcase and pointers to where you
can get more information about the delivery strategy for those
products, see the S/390 (R) softcopy home page on the World Wide Web:
http://www.s390.ibm.com/products/softcopy
Trademarks
CD Showcase, MVS, AS/400, ImagePlus, and S/390 are registered
trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in
the United States or other countries or both.
Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or
service marks of others.
.