The IBM Mainframe Base: Alive and Kicking
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Generally speaking, server makers of all stripes and persuasions are a pretty secretive bunch. They do not provide a lot of internal statistics that in any meaningful way describe their businesses because they think that such information can only be used against them by their competitors. But, every now and then, a vendor gets to bragging, or in other cases feels the need to show that its particular server line is strong. And then out comes the data. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories from Around the Web

(SearchEnterpriseLinux) Despite improvements in recent years, support remains an obstacle to bringing Linux into the data center, according to this article that is based on a survey of IT managers. To get something better than a wing and a prayer isn't necessarily going to come cheap. READ MORE >

(Wired) It is often said that art imitates life. But this is a case of art imitating technology imitating art. At least that's what I'd call "IBM 1401: A User's Manual." You might also call it the mainframe's opus maximus. READ MORE >

(Computer History Museum) Although this doesn't really qualify as a Top Story, it is a link in the Wired story noted above. What you get here is sort of a diary of the IBM 1401 restoration project that is nearly completed at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. It's a cool story, and there are lots of pictures. READ MORE >

(InterGovWorld.com) If you were picking the information technology all star team based on the past 40 years, what products could be singled out as clearly the difference makers? After you read through this list and second guess some of the choices, take another step and look into the lists for the 25 worst tech products, and the computer skills that along with two bucks won't get you a cup of Starbucks coffee. READ MORE >

(Network World) What good is a blog unless it facilitates two warring armies to shoot flaming arrows at each other's camp? If you can't get enough of the mainframe debate (it's a dinosaur--no, mainframes are the future), dial into this link for a fair share of fact and fantasy. READ MORE >

(Fiorano Software) As anyone who is in the midst of a service oriented architecture make over knows, the integration of complex environments is no walk in the park. You may want increased flexibility, productivity, and responsiveness, but taking mainframe applications into the realm of business services begs for some simplicity. This collaboration of technology companies may get you where you want to go. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

August 12-17 -- San Diego, California - IBM technical training tailored for enterprise-class IT professionals will be featured at the SHARE user conference. More than 700 technical sessions and hands-on labs will be presented by industry experts, top developers, and experienced users. Session topics range from implementation of new software releases to in-depth views of the latest technologies. Session topics will include services-oriented architecture, Web services, ITIL, and mobile computing. A preconference workshop on DB2 for z/OS is also on the agenda. If you don't know about SHARE, you should. It has been educating IT professionals since 1955--the longest history of any IT user group. LEARN MORE >

September 17-21 San Antonio, Texas - The IBM System z Conference and Expo presents sessions on topics such as virtualization, security, resiliency, workload management, and integration. Morethan 350 in-depth elective sessions will highlight IBM System z9 and zSeries and Systems Storage. The sessions are divided into the following focus areas: General Interest and Management, z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE and Linux. LEARN MORE >

October 8-11 -- Orlando, Florida - The IBM WebSphere Portal Technical Conference will feature the latest product upgrades and platform extensions for the popular middleware. Among the highlights will be an emphasis on faster deployment of composite applications, enhanced Web 2.0 support, simplified portal-based solutions, and increased integration with business processes. IBM product architects and developers, business partners, and customers will provide training, case studies, and best practices information. Certification testing will be available and a vendor expo will be included. LEARN MORE >

December 2-7 -- San Diego, California - The 33rd annual Computer Measurement Group conference, CMG2007, brings together data processing professionals interested in system evaluation to maximize performance measured in terms of response time, throughput, and through capacity management. Sessions are geared toward making enhancements to existing systems or the designing new systems with the aim of providing adequate performance at a reasonable cost. The courses are divided into two groups. One group consists platform agnostic sessions and provides attendees with basic knowledge that is independent of any specific hardware or operating system. The second group is platform specific specializing in operating systems such as z/OS, Windows, Unix and Linux. LEARN MORE >