It's time for a pulse of the IBM i industry! Take a few minutes to catch up on any headlines you might've missed in the past few weeks.

RPG Open Source Horse Pulls IBM i Community Plow
by Dan Burger

• "Why not have an RPG open source community? We have a vibrant community of open source developers and some have created amazing tools that can make RPG programming all that much better," Rowe says.
• IT Jungle: What can you tell me about the progress being made now that we are about three months removed from our last conversation?
• Liam Allan: As for open-source ILE, a lot has happened in the last three months. The main point is that IBM is focusing on open source and has an OSSILE repository on GitHub. IBM has also appointed Jesse Gorzinski (open source architect for IBM i) to focus on open source software for IBM i, which indicates they are really taking it seriously.

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh110716-story02.html

Is the IBM i Skills Shortage Accelerating Platform Migrations?
by Alex Woodie

• There are a lot of headwinds working against the IBM i platform, including a high up-front cost, a legacy perception, and executives who automatically default to X64 technology with technology decisions.
• But there's one headwind that's internal to the IBM i community: A growing lack of personnel with the requisite IBM i skills.

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh110916-story01.html

IBM i Staff Changes: The End of the World as We Know It?
by David Shirey

• A certain amount has been written lately about all the RPG talent that is getting ready to retire or die and what impact that will have on those of us who are still hanging on.
• I think there are a number of reasons, reasons that give RPG special problems that other languages don’t have.

Source: http://www.mcpressonline.com/rpg/ibm-i-staff-changes-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it.html

How IBM i Fared in Top ERP List
by Alex Woodie

• Every year, Panorama Consulting comes out with a list of the top ERP systems and vendors.
• Whether companies develop their own software or buy a shrink-wrapped product from a vendor, most companies that run the IBM i server bought it to run a core application that's usually an enterprise-strength transactional system (even if it's not called "ERP").
• For Panorama's 2017 report, the company surveyed about 200 of its own consulting customers for the purpose of comparing how real-world deployments of the ERP systems Fared.

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh110916-story04.html

You're Hired! Finding Your Next IBM i Pro
by Dan Burger

• The skills shortage dilemma for IBM i shops is a reality. It's also an excuse.
• New technologies are being introduced rapid fire in IT and each has a learning curve that is being handled by people who choose to do so.

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh111416-story05.html

And that's it for this week! As always, please let us know if we missed anything important in the comments below.