Glad to have you back for this week's IBM i news roundup! Since it's still early into the year, we've got more 2017 predictions and of course 2016 highlights. It's always nice to reflect. Let's begin.

Paul Tuohy on IBM i Highlights of 2016
by Paul Tuohy

• One of the things I wanted, I wished for, was that I would keep meeting people who were in their 20s on the platform and this came true actually in unexpected ways as well.
• Not only is Liam a young guy working on the platform but he is also a speaker and we actually had him along to speak at the RPG and DB2 Summit that we had in Chicago and looking forward to having back speaking with us at the Summit in Orlando in March.
• I wanted a better database interface. Now this is something that has not been delivered in 2016 but the good news is that there are strides being made in the right direction with ACS Access Client solutions and the database functionality...

Source: http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/ibmi/trends/iTALK-WITH-TUOHY/2016-highlights/

2017 IBM i Predictions: Take Three
by Alex Woodie

• "I believe more shops will adopt cloud IBM i offerings, either as a way to experiment and develop in a separate environment, or as a production solution to offload hardware costs and maintenance.” -Stephanie Rabbani, Alan Seiden Consulting
• "Going into 2017, however, we’re seeing a new and very exciting trend for IBM i modernization emerging: Node.js. Node has become one of the most widely adopted languages for business application development, and that includes businesses that run on IBM i." -Alex Roytman, Profound Logic
• "Make 2017 the year to extend your IBM i skills. Try learning a new RPG technique (using JSON, JDBC, advanced SQL) that you have been reading about. Learn a new language, PHP or .NET or improve your skills–on the IBM i of course!" -Laura Hamway, Hamway Software Solutions

Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/02/01/2017-ibm-predictions-take-three/

5 Mobile App Trends You Can Bank on in 2017
by Peter Helgren

• Native mobile applications die a slow painful death.
• Hybrid mobile apps will fade as well.
• Progressive mobile applications displace native and hybrid.
• I predict that the person with the JavaScript, HTML and CSS skills who also knows RPG will beat out anyone with just RPG skills in the job arena in 2017.

Source: http://www.mcpressonline.com/mobile/mobile-other/5-mobile-app-trends-you-can-bank-on-in-2017

Geared Down, Low Cost Power IBM i Box Rumored
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

• For many shops, even the smallest machine that Big Blue currently delivers is too much of a box.
• If the rumor mill is accurate, then Big Blue is in fact working on a new entry Power Systems machine that fits the bill.
• It is not clear at this time if IBM is creating a whole new system, perhaps based on a variant of a geared-down Power8 processor, or just repackaging and repricing an existing Power Systems machine.

Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/02/06/geared-low-cost-power-ibm-box-rumored/

One of our predictions for 2017 is the continued adoption of Node.js in IBM i shops. Click here to read our white paper on Why Node.js Is The Solution Your Company Needs.

And there, you're all caught up! Sounds like we have an interesting 2017 ahead of us huh? Let us know your predictions for the IBM i space in 2017 in the comments below.