Glad to have you back for this week's IBM i news roundup! This week we are looking at buzzwords for the IBM i and a birthday celebration. But First...
John Rockwell wrote a great piece on educating those who think that the AS/400 is just the old green screen computer. Just like Windows XP became Windows 7; the same can be said for the AS/400 eventually becoming IBM i.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/as400-isnt-old-green-screen-computer-john-rockwell
Promoting IBM i - Buzzwords & Hot Buttons
by Steve Will
Last week Steve talked about several reasons why your company might be evaluating a move off of IBM i to another platform and what to look for during those reasons. This week Steve talks about Buzzwords and Hot Button issues that could also trigger an evaluation of your IBM i platform.
Buzzwords:
Capex vs. Opex - IT organizations are making a strong push to reduce the amount of capital expenses, the IBM i (normally a capital expense) can be looked at to reevaluate if they can move to a model more dependent of operational expenses.
Cloud - This buzzword will have some executives thinking that they can simply move all of their data into a cloud based system. Having a managed service provider take care of all your IT needs may not be practical, but it will trigger an evaluation.
Mobile - This isn't so much a bad buzzword, because it might trigger your company to upgrade your IBM i to include a mobile package (take a look at our Profound Mobile module for more details) which is good! But this word could trigger an evaluation of the platform no matter what.
Open Source - This broad term can also be a good buzzword for the future of your IBM i, because it should cause any executive to evaluate their platform. The use of Open Source on the IBM i can be extensive and sophisticated, but not widely used. Using products like Profound.js can expand your companies reach with Open Source material quickly and cheaply.
Hot Button:
Staffing - The lose of a lead RPG programmer can cause shock waves through a company and will most definitely trigger an evaluation of your platform. Finding new development talent is a key worry for most IBM i companies, luckily Profound.js gives companies an edge in recruiting new development talent.
Regulation & Auditing - When dealing with either of these situations, it would be unusual if a company did not engage in a full evaluation of their platforms. These hot buttons are unfortunately out of your control, but you can prepare for them.
IBM's Commitment - Something else that is out of your control is your executive's thoughts on the commitment of IBM to the i. If they have doubts about the commitment, then they will obviously begin a platform comparison effort.
Perception - The perception of the platform is that it is old, and it is. But it has grown and developed over the years. Many companies still use the old green screen 5250, but a quick modernization effort by your company can help create window based and mobile GUI that are easy to interact with and modern to look at. Profound UI is the leader in IBM i modernization techniques.
Seven Bright Spots to Ponder on the 29th Birthday of AS/400
by Alex Woodie
This week marked the 29th birthday of the AS/400 or IBM i as we know it now. In celebration of this birthday Alex has pointed out 7 bright spots to the platform:
1. Apps, Apps, Apps
2. Operational Analytics
3.Fresh Blood
4. Focus on Education
5. Push to Modernization
6. Customer Vocalism
7. IBM Leadership
Check out the article below to get the details on each of these awesome bright spots.
Source: https://www.itjungle.com/2017/06/21/seven-bright-spots-ponder-as400s-29th-birthday/
And Finally...
Our own Liam Allan wrote a quick basic SQL Precompiler for RPG which generates CLI... enjoy!
Source: http://worksofbarry.com/?29
One of our focuses 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.
Also, Profound.js 2.0 has been released! See how Profound.js 2.0 can help modernize your IBM i today!
And there, you're all caught up! Sounds like we have an interesting 2017!
