Flex-ES And IBM: Can They Bend? Are They Broken?
by Hesh Wiener

There are hundreds of Fundamental Software's Flex-ES mainframe emulators in use around the world. At least two thirds of the installed base is in the hands of IBM's mainframe PWD (PartnerWorld for Developers) members or IBM personnel; the rest are owned by end users. During the past few months, a deadly rift has grown between IBM and Fundamental. Every Flex-ES system sold to a PWD member or to IBM contains a firmware time bomb. It can only be defused if Fundamental and IBM cooperate. That's not happening, and the bombs are starting to go off, killing the systems. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories from Around the Web

(eChannelLine) Each year the overlap in server environments grows more and more. The decisions whether to scale-up, scale-out, or scale-in are the cause of great debates. The amalgamation of application mix, required processing power, and organizational dynamics should all be considered when choosing system architecture. Obviously, that's easier said than done. READ MORE >

(ComputerWorld) Someone has to take the lead and in this case it's the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. We get the benefit of watching as it rewrites legacy mainframe applications in J2EE to run on IBM AIX-based systems and supplants its Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and Access databases with a centralized business intelligence infrastructure. READ MORE >

(Acxicom) Safety-Kleen is the leading oil recycling and industrial waste management services company in North America, with approximately 4,500 employees serving hundreds of thousands of customers. It outsources IT services, including mainframe operations, to reduce costs and improve systems management and application infrastructure. READ MORE >

(ATERAS) The largest high school district in Illinois has contracted with ATERAS and Fujitsu to move its applications off a mainframe and onto the Microsoft Windows platform. The migration includes CICS, COBOL, and JCL code, which will be used for future development of integrated applications in the Windows environment. Reducing the costs associated with mainframe maintenance was one of the key elements in the decision. READ MORE >

(CDB Software) Companies that are preparing a move to the new "Viper" DB2 9.1 for z/OS database have data management tools from CDB Software to consider as they develop plans to increase the limits and capabilities of their DB2 databases. CDB has been an active participant in IBM's Early Vendor Program for DB2 9.1 on z/OS which put them in position to introduce early support for the latest version of DB2. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

See our full calendar of events at
http://www.itjungle.com/big/big-calendar.html

April 23-27 -- Orlando, Florida - IBM system management products are the highlight of the Automated Operations Technical Council conference, where sessions are presented by representatives from IBM software development teams and their customers. The focus is on the mainframe environment, but extends out into the enterprise. The AOTC is a closed conference, with attendance by invitation only. Contact your IBM field representative for more details and an opportunity to attend. LEARN MORE >

May 6-10 -- San Jose, California - The International DB2 Users Group conference, known as IDUG 2007 North America, offers training and education on topics that include including DB2 for Linux, Unix, Windows; DB2 for z/OS; Informix; Java; Websphere; and XML. LEARN MORE >

May 18-22 -- Green Bay, Wisconsin - The WAVV Conference for users of the VSE, VM, and Linux operating systems, will include session topics such as z/VSE Version 4 features and benefits, SOA and interoperability, new workloads for the System z9 Business Class server, and integration of z/VSE processes into distributed environments. The event will be held at the Regency Suites Hotel. LEARN MORE >