Suddenly they no longer had to endure the slow response time and poor analytical capabilities of mainframes.

But some reply that focusing so much on the problems of mainframes is myopic.

The company appears to be making a strong transition to its new line of mainframes, several analysts said.

The incident came not long after a virus struck Fujitsu, a large maker of mainframes.

Its products govern the operations of mainframes and large, complex computer networks.

Sales of mainframes and other big computers known as servers fell 30 percent, to $2 billion.

"The world is working because of the discipline of mainframes," he said.

The company compensated for weak sales, especially of personal computers and mainframes, through strict cost controls.

"In the case of mainframes, the customer couldn't wait any longer; they have businesses that need additional capacity."

However, it has increasingly aimed new products, particularly its Sierra, or 3090, series of mainframes, at scientific users.