Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(IT Jungle) I see a parallel between the evolution of the automobile and the evolution of the AS/400, iSeries, and System i. In the early days of the automobile, it was expensive and it was complex. Those who could afford it could afford a person who operated and maintained the car for the wealthy owner. Later on, cars became more affordable and less complex. Inexpensive cars could do almost everything that expensive cars could do and owners acquired the skills to drive and maintain their own cars. Automotive history is littered with the names of excellent cars that faded away because their differentiation from the mass-produced competition was no longer relevant. IBM needs a better strategy to steer the System i toward the future. Here are some ideas to run with. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) How much credence do you attach to the reported shortage of IT professionals? Some say it is bad now and will only get worse as my baby boomer buddies retire. When a survey by a prestigious company like PricewaterhouseCoopers is tabulated and published on the topic of personnel management, you have to figure this is the real deal, right? I can't disagree with the need to create innovative programs in order to attract and retain the best people. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Start with the reasonable assumption that most Windows gurus haven't a clue about the System i. Then add in the assumption that no one is even suggesting that a new platform (System i or otherwise) replace their beloved Windows. The Microsoft drumbeat keeps getting louder, and unless the System i strategists at IBM come up with a better plan, we'll all being marching to the music that is made in Redmond not Rochester. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) The perception that application development projects are increasingly being outsourced overseas is called into question by the results of a survey conducted by Foote Partners. According to this report, more in-house application development is under way because Web the combination of Web development and enterprise integration make for complicated application development projects that are generally not successful when outsourced. READ MORE >

(Dr. Dobbs Portal) What can Linux do for you? Well, the list of Linux-on-Power applications keeps growing, so checking it from time to time might light up an idea that is useful to you. With 2006 coming to a close, IBM says 372 applications were added in the past year. The most recent extends apps to mobile devices. READ MORE >

Vendor Announcements, Promotions, and Deals

(IT Jungle) Major players in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software game continue to move their products toward the goal of multiplatform compatibility. For those that have a history of RPG-based applications, this often means there's a Java/service oriented architecture pathway that is gradually being introduced. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) In recent years you may have formed an intimate relationship with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which you know as HIPAA. Although it has been a can of worms for many healthcare providers, the biggest worm in the can has been the protection of patient information. Above all else, HIPPA shines a spotlight on insufficient security regarding the health records of me and you. Regulatory compliance is pretty much a black and white issue. Just like you can't be sort of pregnant, you can't be sort of secure. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Let's talk about the integration of DB2 for System i (DB2/400 for those of us who prefer the name AS/400 to all this rebranding with a lower case i baloney) and the operating system (i5/OS or OS/400). It is the reason your company's data safe and secure, and it's the reason developers write native i5/OS applications. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Business rules management systems (BRMS) are in place at a high percentage of System i shops. It's for serious businesses with IT demands that go beyond Excel spreadsheets. If you know BRMS, then you may have considered whether there is a way to offload business logic from legacy systems and move the decision-making capability to a separate rules engine designed to be more flexible and easier for business users to change. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Business intelligence tools are a hot commodity for many business executives these days. Companies have no shortage of data, but what they don't have a lot of is meaningful data. Separating the useful data from the mundane and accomplishing this in something close to real time is the goal of any business intelligence initiative. Wanting it and getting it, as you know, are often two different things. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) Even though relatively few people in the System i environment have experimented with PHP Web development, every indication is that it will be as popular in our world as it is in the greater IT universe where it is incredibly popular. If you are running V5R4, you may already know about PHP. If you are running V5R3, your time has just arrived. READ MORE >

(System iNetwork) Those of you who have explored topics such as service oriented architecture, Web services, and legacy application integration are probably familiar with Seagull Software, a vendor with deep roots in the OS/400 market. Seagull is about to be purchased by Rocket Software, a company with a list of OEM customers that includes IBM. READ MORE >

Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(BCD) This case study is based on a Web application project that was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. That alone should raise an eyebrow or two if you've heard some of the horror stories about supposedly good Web app programs that have gone bad. In this case, the company was able to create customized apps using a staff that was RPG savvy. READ MORE >

(IBM) For those interested in the technical aspects of high availability, the topic of remote journaling and its associated risk of data loss and performance degradation should grab your attention. This tech paper focuses on the relationship between remote journaling and journal caching and is written by IBM's top expert on this topic, Larry Youngren. READ MORE >

(Bytware) The Integrated File System is one of the most ignored parts of the system, yet it enables many of the most powerful and most used features on OS/400. Most people don't realize that even if they are not using their system as a Web server or a network file server, they should have concerns about the IFS because what you don't know could weaken the security of your system. This white paper is authored by security expert Carol Woodbury. READ MORE >

(IBM) Extensible Markup Language (XML) is supported by a large group of users because it allows applications to move from proprietary file and data formats to open data interchange. It has a range of applications, and a reputation as easy to use. This redbook deals with the challenges of representing XML hierarchies in the relational database model. It provides in-depth explanations of the three most popular approaches to bridge the hierarchy: programmatically processing XML documents and mapping their hierarchy into a relational database; using database middleware to handle the XML parsing and XML-to-relational mapping; and using XSL to transform inbound XML documents to SQL scripts. READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

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

December 7 -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - This session will highlight the next generation of service oriented architecture (SOA) technologies. Topics of discussion include new SOA tools and technologies that address the needs of business users; how to garner relevant information across heterogeneous systems; meeting business commitments and customer expectations; and making business performance activity measurements immediately available and minimizing the delay between information access and business decisions. Two sessions: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. LEARN MORE >

December 10-12 -- Carlsbad, California - The Gartner CIO Summit offers analyst presentations complemented by hands-on workshops that aim for a thorough peer-to-peer exploration of the issues, trends, and technologies challenging enterprise IT departments. Session topics include value-chain business advantages, collaboration and the high performance workplace, new software architectures, and creating an agile enterprise. The event will be held at the LaCosta Resort and Spa. Register with a credit card by October 20 to receive $200 off the registration fee. LEARN MORE >

December 12 -- Dallas, Texas - This session will highlight the next generation of service oriented architecture (SOA) technologies. Topics of discussion include new SOA tools and technologies that address the needs of business users; how to garner relevant information across heterogeneous systems; meeting business commitments and customer expectations; and making business performance activity measurements immediately available and minimizing the delay between information access and business decisions. Two sessions: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. LEARN MORE >

December 12 -- Webinar - Achieving regulatory compliance and internal control remediation without programmatic changes will be discussed during this one-hour session hosted by software vendor Innovatum. Topics to be examined include identifying compliance data, identifying controls and approvals, and automating these controls and approvals as much as possible. The session begins at 11 a.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

December 13 -- Houston, Texas - This session will highlight the next generation of service oriented architecture (SOA) technologies. Topics of discussion include new SOA tools and technologies that address the needs of business users; how to garner relevant information across heterogeneous systems; meeting business commitments and customer expectations; and making business performance activity measurements immediately available and minimizing the delay between information access and business decisions. Two sessions: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. LEARN MORE >

December 14 -- Waltham, Massachusetts - This session will highlight the next generation of service oriented architecture (SOA) technologies. Topics of discussion include new SOA tools and technologies that address the needs of business users; how to garner relevant information across heterogeneous systems; meeting business commitments and customer expectations; and making business performance activity measurements immediately available and minimizing the delay between information access and business decisions. Two sessions: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. LEARN MORE >

December 14 -- Webinar - Business intelligence software that interoperates with encrypted data and provides the necessary audit trails and compliance requirements is the topic of this session hosted by software vendors New Generation Software and Patrick Townsend & Associates. The presentation begins at 11 a.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

January 21-25 -- Orlando, Florida - The annual Lotusphere conference is packed with technical education sessions, labs, and approximately 6,000 IBM and Lotus software enthusiasts and experts. The education and training is applicable for both the business- and technical-minded professionals. Session tracks include Futures and Innovations, Application Development, Planning and Managing Your Collaboration Infrastructure, Best Practices, and Customer Case Studies. LEARN MORE >