Such a decline, if true, would indicate that competition has stiffened in the mainframe business.

It has shown that the software side of the mainframe business can be quite profitable.

But the company's mainframe business is quite the opposite.

"We are in no way neglecting our established mainframe business, but it's not growing that fast," he said.

Figure out why the mainframe business isn't the best cash cow ever made.

The trajectory of the mainframe business depends on how it is measured.

He added that the mainframe business added nothing positive to the company's overall picture.

To be sure, the pressure on the mainframe business has been greater than almost anyone predicted a few years ago.

The mainframe business has been affected, too, but only indirectly.so far.

But the mainframe business remains a good one, they said, as the fourth quarter results showed.