Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) The wall between JDA and i2 was too tall for JDA to get over in 2008. But the dream of creating a stupendous retail and supply chain force apparently is unrelenting. So the time has come for JDA to try again. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Uncovering the specifics of IBM's server businesses are a cloak and dagger operation, with Big Blue holding both the aforementioned items. But no one enjoys shining a light in IBM's closet more than Timothy Prickett Morgan. Here's what he's found based on the Q3 figures recently released. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) IBM's Power Systems gained market share while the market was robust and things have only gotten better during the economic downturn--as far as market share is concerned. Much of the competition is looking like punch drunk boxers, but what else is going on? READ MORE >

(IBM Systems Magazine) Cost-cutting measures at COMMON are changing the face of the organization. Jon Paris and Susan Gantner, two of the most widely recognized and highly respected names in IBM i training and education, have had popular sessions at the annual COMMON Conference since dinosaurs roamed the planet. You won't find them at the conference next spring. Other top-rated educators may also be missing, but it's too early to tell. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) There are a lot of reasons to be grouchy about IBM's attitude on non-platform-specific marketing. But the old saying that if you're not part of the solutions, you're part of the problem has never been more true. Someone has to step up and deliver the message about the i. One more ISV has joined the iManifest effort. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Systems management on multiple platforms from a single console makes a lot of sense when there are thousands of jobs and dozens of servers in the mix. One point that is often debated in this single-console discussion is the single point of failure that exists when one scheduling engine is controlling jobs across multiple machines. Here's how to jump that hurdle. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) What's worse than sleeping with fleas or an unsuspecting swig of sour milk? How about ERP software that is highly disruptive, overly expensive, and forces long-time customers to shift technologies and skill sets on a schedule that pinches their tender parts? Yeah, that ranks pretty high on the discomfort scale. But is anyone doing anything about it? READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The capabilities PHP provides for the development and deployment of Web applications integrated with IBM i objects and DB2 data has sparked serious interest among developers. So change management functionality that allows developers to use one screen and one integrated development environment should be following that trend. Here it is. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) We hear a lot of claims that certain products and technologies simplify the complexity that has wrapped its tentacles around corporate IT. Is it possible for enterprise software to be both simple and highly functional? It is if you listen to Ron Bunn talk about unERP. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Managed file transfer tools are getting more looks these days than a truth serum vendor at a political fundraiser. These tools can be useful in a completely IBM i-centric environment or they can serve their purpose in a multi-platform network. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Profound Logic) The next release of the IBM i operating system will include a feature called RPG Open I/O that developers can use to interface with various devices and platforms from native RPG operations. Will Open I/O lead to a truly native GUI interface for the IBM i? This video offers a glimpse into this soon-to-arrive technology. READ MORE >

(Raz-Lee) Guidelines for best security practices related to PCI compliance and the IBM Power i are covered in this report. Of particular note are vulnerabilities related to system exit points and the lack of application data trails. Either one can allow data to be exposed. READ MORE >

(ARCAD) Regulatory compliance from an IT standpoint requires a structured framework based on rules and defaults to ensure rules are followed. This white paper describes how change management defines a set of working environments and provides the needed traceability for regulatory requirements. READ MORE >

(RJS) For those interested in electronic document management, here's a video with voice over explaining the product features of the RJS document management solution. Although product specific, it doesn't sound like a sales pitch and it explains the benefits of a document management system and what the various features can provide. The presentation was created as a Flash Video and should be viewable on most operating systems. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

November 12 -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Database topics will be on the agenda for the monthly meeting of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association. A 4:30 p.m. session will highlight Omnifind, the text search for DB2 i, while SQL and DB2 i will be featured during the 7:30 p.m. session. Guest speaks will be IBM Rochester experts Rob Bestgen (Omnifind) and Rob Bestgen (SQL). Details of their sessions can be found on the WMPCA Web site. In between the two discussions is dinner and networking with the members. The meeting will be held at Klemmer's Banquet Center located at 10401 West Oklahoma Avenue. LEARN MORE >

November 12 -- Maryland Heights, Missouri - Brian Meyers, noted author and trainer in RPG topics, will discuss RPG techniques for the Web at the monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date. LEARN MORE >

November 17 -- Webinar - Application modernization and Web development on the IBM i will be featured in this online session that demonstrates the Profound Logic Modernization Suite. An emphasis is given to extending existing apps, building new apps, and gaining productivity. The presentation begins at 1 p.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

November 17 -- Irving, Texas - Service oriented architecture and Web services are on the agenda during the monthly meeting of the Metro Midrange Systems Association, a user group for the Dallas and Fort Worth metro areas. Guest speaker Dan Shinedling is experienced in the areas of SOA, IBM i, IBM middleware, and Java EE. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 and Shinedling's presentation at 7. MMSA meetings are held at the Dallas - IBM Innovation Center located at 13800 Diplomat Drive. LEARN MORE >

November 17 -- Southfield, Michigan - Connecting IBM i with Web 2.0 applications and concepts will be the agenda item at the regularly scheduled local user group meeting of the Southeast Michigan iSeries User Group. Guest speaker is Tim Rowe, an IBMer with responsibilities for integrating Web-based middleware into the IBM i operating system. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at IBM Southfield offices located at 18000 West Nine Mile Road. LEARN MORE >

November 17 -- Norwalk, Connecticut - The Fairfield AS/400 Users Group monthly meeting topic takes a look at improving RPG applications using PHP. Guest speaker Brian May will explain how PHP can be used to deliver any file from the IFS to the users' PCs. He'll also talk about open source and implementing PHP-based user interfaces for IBM i applications. May is an MIS project leader for a New York-based apparel company and the Webmaster for the Young i Professionals organization. FASUG meetings are held at the Norwalk Inn, 99 East Avenue, and begin at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

November 17 -- Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois - Thinking about your career? How to survive in IT during an economic downturn will be the featured topic at the monthly meeting of the OMNI User Group. Nahid Jilovec, a project manager at McDonalds Corporation, will be the guest speaker. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Pompei located at 17W744 22nd Street. LEARN MORE >

November 17 -- Costa Mesa, California - A presentation on the worldwide iManifest initiative by Jeff Olen and a technical discussion by Donald Leong will highlight the regular monthly meeting of the OCEAN User Group. The OCEAN User Group serves the greater Orange County, California, area and meets the third Tuesday of each month. The meetings will be held at the IBM offices on Harbor Boulevard between 6 and 8:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

November 18 -- Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - Sandra Weir, subject matter expert for cloud computing with WebSphere, will discuss cloud computing at the monthly meeting of the Toronto User Group. Topics on the agenda include dynamic infrastructure, custom on-demand application provisioning, computing capacity, and public and private cloud management. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Living Arts Centre. LEARN MORE >

November 18 -- Woodbury, New York - The Long Island Systems Users Group meeting will include two sessions on PHP this month. A presentation at 5 p.m. covers debugging of PHP Web applications suing Firefox, Eclipse-PDT, and Fiddler. At 6 p.m., improving RPG applications using PHP becomes the emphasis. Guest speakers are Justin Dearing and Brian May. LISUG meetings are held at the Fox Hollow Inn located at 7725 Jericho Turnpike. LEARN MORE >

November 18 -- Webinar - Disk management--from clearing history logs to resizing libraries, job queues and objects--will be discussed during this interactive product demonstration hosted by S4i using the company's DASD-Plus tool. Additional topics on the agenda include disk diagnostics, analytics, reporting, management, and unused space optimization. This online session is presented for the European audience, and begins at 3 p.m. in the U.K. and 4 p.m. in continental Europe. LEARN MORE >

November 18 -- Nashville, Tennessee - This meeting of the Tennessee IBM Mid-Range User Group will feature a presentation on stored procedures what they are, what they're used for, how to create them, and how to execute them. Guest speaker will be Chuck Walker, an independent consultant doing business as The System Solutions Group. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt located at 2613 West End Avenue. It begins at 5:30 p.m. LEARN MORE >

November 20 -- Webinar - Application development without change management puts software reliability at risk and opens a can of worms when regulatory compliance is a concern. This online session focuses on the topic of release management with a discussion about identifying changed components in a release to be transferred and how to correctly transfer a release 100 percent of the time. The session begins at noon EST. LEARN MORE >