Happy 40th VM

August 2, 1972 was the announcement of VM/370. Now, some will say it's more than 40 years if you go back to CP-67, or even further back to CP-40. While the earliest versions of VM were known to customers, it wasn't until VM/370 that a formal offering was available. Tradition has used that as the starting point. The question for me is whether this is an anniversary or a birthday.

Part of me wants it to be a birthday, because you hear about birthday cake more than you do anniversary cake. I like cake. I like the idea of the years prior to 1972 as the time IBM was with child. The gestation period was longer than 9 months, and even exceeded the 22 to 25 months gestation of an African Elephant. That's not necessarily a comment on the size of IBM at the time.

Part of me wants it to be an anniversary, because every five years is when the big celebrations occur. Birthdays make me think about getting older or aging. You can use cute expressions like 40 is the new 25, but it's still older than 35. Anniversaries on the other hand are more about recognizing the longevity, endurance, and growth. I also think of an anniversary more as recognizing an event. Often an event that brought together a group of people, and in some cases a commitment or bond. There are elements of that aspect that seem to fit VM.

Birthdays also seem to have an end, which we don't like to think about. But the anniversary of the founding of a town or a country doesn't seem to end. I wasn't involved with VM for the 5th or 10th anniversaries, and my involvement was still new for the 15th. It's also unlikely that I'll still be writing blogs for the 55th. Others will pick up the banner and the cause, keeping tradition alive.

In both cases, recognizing the event is a chance to tell stories, share memories, honor the pioneers and champions, and celebrate. All of which the VM community does well.