A Whole New World

by Alan Alexander-Manifold

29 June 1994

There must have been an earthquake, hurricane,
Tsunami, flood -- or have I gone insane?
I swear that since last month the world has changed;
The whole environment's been rearranged.
A slight exaggeration?  All the same
Poor NOTIS has engulfed itself in flame,
Then, like a phoenix, rose as ALS--
Its academic service arm, I guess.
Horizon's gone and now there's just Marquis
Whoops!  My mistake.  I should say C/SP!
There's been a bit of loss, a bit of gain.
(We'll each decide which one applies to Jane.)
But through it all, like mighty Everest
Remains, Gibraltar-like, the LMS.
Not pretty -- old and battered -- but still strong,
It valiantly postpones its dying song.

Now, like explorers crashed upon the moon,
We look for landmarks, and must find them soon.
Our mainframes, like a space suit short on air,
Are short on time, almost beyond repair.
Should we look just at NOTIS C/SP,
Or check what other choices there might be?
Perhaps we'll check out Geac, DRA;
See what the folks at SIRSI have to say;
I'd like to know what Innovative's got,
And how 'bout Dynix -- scratch that, I forgot!
Would Tapestry leave us in perfect bliss?
Did MARCorp make a hit or did they miss?
What state's the automation business in?
It feels more like a Wheel of Fortune spin!
But when the spinning wheel grinds to a halt,
And life emerges from the earthquake's fault,
When firmness comes back to our mushy brains,
We'll all take stock of that which still remains,
Weigh carefully the options, calm our fears,
And pray to God our mainframes last ten years!