iModernize - The Profound Logic Software Blog

It's been way too long since our last blog post and we're sincerely sorry. We got stuck in an extensive process moving off of our previous blogging platform. Who would've thought migration could be such a hassle?  Fortunately, we're now completely settled into our new home here at blog.profoundlogic.com—and we're excited to get back on track with IBM i Pulse, your favorite (and likely only) IBM i news roundup!

For those of us in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. And in the spirit of that holiday, we took a few moments to write up the things about IBM i and its community that make us thankful. What are you thankful for with the i? Let us know in the comments!

Hearing someone proclaim "The IBM i platform is on its last leg!" is something I had to get used to when I first started working at Profound Logic. I had experience working with Microsoft and Oracle, and knew those platforms weren't going away anytime soon. But IBM i?

After a year with the company and several of these "sky is falling" claims from so-called experts, however, it quickly became clear to me that the prognostication about the demise of the IBM i wasn't accurate at all.

Here's the short of it: The AS/400 is several decades old, as is the RPG programming language. Therefore, according to these experts, the platform can't possibly be modern enough to support the needs of modern businesses.

And in that context, they're right - The AS/400 can't. But the IBM i can!

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry. Let's start it off with some good news for all of us...

Power Systems Shows Growth Again For Big Blue
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

• "The good news is that the Power Systems division of IBM's Systems Group turned in its third consecutive quarter of revenue growth, something that the Power community of customers, resellers, and software developers most certainly want to see."
• "The bad news is that the rising U.S. dollar compared to other foreign currencies means that overseas sales translate into fewer greenbacks when sales are brought back to IBM's New York headquarters, masking that growth."

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh102615-story01.html

Academic Initiative Lives Up To Its Name
by Dan Burger

• "Skills replacement is something you have to plan for. Reacting to skills lost through retirement or other avenues is a too little, too late scenario."
• "You build a skills pipeline by bringing people into your organization and you move them along through the company. Aiding that effort is the IBM Power System Academic Initiative, which has been making some notable progress lately."

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry. We're starting this week's edition off with an article from one of our own prized developers, Brian May...

Programming Standards: Good, Bad, and Ugly
by Brian May

• "This month, I want to talk about coding standards. The mention of the topic makes some managers and developers all warm and fuzzy and others cringe."
• "Standards have a place. They can add consistency to your code and greatly reduce the time needed to analyze code or research bugs. Naming conventions and application structure should adhere to a standard."
• "Your standards should never limit your developers' creativity. While some may think a developer's job is to write code, they are really there to solve problems. Standards should help developers solve problems, not hinder them."

Source: http://www.mcpressonline.com/rpg/programming-standards-good-bad-and-ugly.html

What JSON on IBM i Can Do For You
by Alex Woodie

• "One of the most compelling new features that IBM added to the DB2 for i database in recent memory is support for JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), which has become the de facto standard interchange format for Web data."
• "Many IBM i developers are beginning to use JavaScript as a front-end scripting language for developing Web and mobile interfaces. While the backend business logic for these apps remain in RPG, Java, PHP, or other language, the front-end is typically written in JavaScript, and quite often the data format it will use is JSON."

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

IBM i Tech Refresh Reiterates Database Emphasis
by Dan Burger

• "Whether or not the majority of IBM i shops have an interest in SQL, IBM continues to make database enhancements its top priority as it rolls out new Technology Refreshes for its eponymous Power Systems operating system."
• "On the way to answering that question, let's take a look at the services that will be available when TR11/TR3 becomes available next month."
  • Work with Object Locks (WRKOBJLCK) detail enables application developers and system administrators to capture, understand, and resolve sporadic timing issues.
  • Work with System Status (WRKSYSSTS) detail provides critical systems management insight.
  • Work with Output Queues (WRKOUTQ) detail enables improved systems management solutions.
  • Work with TCP/IP Network Status (NETSTAT) provides the critical information about the system network health.
  • Work with System Activity (WRKSYSACT) details provide critical system activity insight.
  • Work with License Information (WRKLICINF) provide key details on licensing information on the system.
  • Work with Media Library Status (WRKMLBSTS) provides details on the media library status on the system.

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

IBM i 7.2 TR3 – PurePower, BRMS Tiers, RPG
by Steve Will

• "IBM announces the Technology Refresh 3 for the IBM i 7.2 release, as well as TR 11 for 7.1. By this time, you will have gotten used to the strategy IBM adopted with the introduction of the 7.1 release in 2010: twice a year, in the spring and fall, we announce new support for the IBM i operating system..."
• "My blog today will discuss a few of the items at a high level. As always, with the high degree of function incorporated into this integrated operating system, the totality of the announcement is too big for one blog or one article..."

Source: http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/You-and-i/October-2015/IBM-i-7-2-TR3-%E2%80%93-PurePower,-BRMS-Tiers,-RPG/

IBM i 7.2 TR3 and 7.1 TR11 Highlights
Dawn May

• "This announcement includes a lot of exciting features that are coming to IBM i and I recommend you read it, in addition to Steve Will’s blog."
• This week, I will review a couple highlights from the announcement. There are two things that I think many of you will find very exciting. They are:
  • Additional IBM i Services
  • IBM i Access Client Solutions is being enhanced to include the SQL Performance Center and Run SQL Scripts

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

IBM Tops List of Security Vulnerabilities, But What Does It Mean?
by Alex Woodie

• IBM has found itself atop many prestigious lists over the years--the holder of the most patents, the greenest company in IT, and the biggest server maker. But this month the cybersecurity research firm Secunia put IBM at the top of one list that Big Blue won't be proud of: The list of software vendors with the most security vulnerabilities.

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh092315-story03.html

Six Signs Of The Long, Slow Decline Of ERP
by Alex Woodie

1. Dropping License Revenue
2. Migration to the Cloud
3. Continued Cost Overruns
4. Fewer New Features
5. Focus on Analytics
6. Suite Deconstruction

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

Stop Saying "Legacy"!
by David Shirey

• "...for the last 20 years, the worst IT or business insult you could throw at someone was that their system was legacy."
• "In some ways, the legacy confession is a way of transferring responsibility from you to your system for the fact that your system is not all it should be. 'Oh, we can't possibly be held responsible for the state of our system. It's legacy code.' Sorry, but that's a total cop-out."

Source: http://www.mcpressonline.com/rpg/stop-saying-legacy.html

Technology Focus: Modernizing Your Apps to Keep Up with Technology, Part 2
by John Ghrist

• "This month, in Part 2, we continue the discussion of app modernization with the market need for at least letting mobile devices communicate with server software."
• "Some of the greatest challenges in app modernization seem to be outside the question of whether to follow the Webfacing or the mobile-device access paths."

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

Be the Change – Developing IBM i Education
by Von Enselman

• "We all read the alarming articles about companies leaving the i because they can’t find RPG programers. We all know about the misconception that this machine is old school. As I have mentioned many times I find it frustrating that those who lament the loss of the good old days are the same developers who are reluctant to advocate on behalf of the platform. All of this doesn’t change the fact we need to address skill development at all levels of our community."
• "Focusing on the students it seems reasonably simple — their end goal is employability. The IBM i is a leader in the Power System install base and is used in every industry in the world. Watson is proving the capability of the machine on the global stage and the remarkable professionals at IBM promote the vitality of the platform to anyone and everyone who will listen."