News Briefs and Product Shorts

SoftLanding Ships RSE Extensions for WDSc, Makes it Available as Open Source

iSeries developers using WebSphere Development Studio Client (WDSc) version 6.0 may want to check out SoftLanding Systems' RSE Extensions, a collection of plug-ins that augment the Remote System Explorer (RSE) component of WDSc. RSE Extensions, which SoftLanding is offering free of charge under an open-source license, is designed to improve the iSeries developer's WDSc experience by providing three capabilities, including direct access to spooled file output from within WDSC, the capability to monitor iSeries message queues, and a pre-arranged collection of views that makes it easier to view two source-editing windows simultaneously. Direct access to spooled file output will provide benefits to developers by enabling them to see job logs and compile listings as a "view" within WDSc should they encounter an error while running a job. Developers will be notified by their choice of pop-up dialog box, e-mail, or a sound, such as a "beep," using the iSeries message queue monitoring capabilities of RSE Extensions. It will also be easier for WDSc developers to view two source-editing windows simultaneously using RSE Extensions.

This is SoftLanding's second major contribution to the open source community this year. In April, it unveiled Subversion for OS/400, which is free, and TurnOver SVN, which integrated Subversion for OS/400 with its flagship TurnOver suite of change management software for OS/400 (see "SoftLanding Goes Open Source with TurnOverSVN"). "It is great to see [SoftLanding] taking the initiative to create an open source project for extensions to the RSE," says Don Yantzi, technical release lead for IBM's WebSphere and WDSc development tool. "These RSE extensions further enhance the value of WDSc to iSeries developers." Steve Gapp, president and chief executive of SoftLanding, says he is happy to follow IBM's lead in supporting the open source community. "We invite all users of WDSc to not only install the RSE Extensions Plug-in, but to participate with us and IBM in extending its functionality," he says.

Bsafe Information Systems Lands Three Resellers in the United States

Things are looking up for Bsafe Information Systems after years of trying to break into the North American market. Yesterday at the COMMON conference here in Orlando, Florida, the Israel-based developer of OS/400 security software announced it has appointed three companies to resell its BSafe/Global Security suite of tools in the United States. The new resellers are Norton Lamb & Company Yarmouth, Maine; Premise Tampa, Florida; and Systems Programming and Solutions (SPSI) Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "The partnerships we are currently establishing in North America reflect our commitment and drive to expand market penetration using channel partners," says Itay Karny director of business development in North America for BSafe.

English Dairy Finds Route to Efficiency Runs Through Kofax

Out in the cow pastures and dairy farms of rural England, one mustn't expect business to be conducted digitally. In fact, paper-based processes are the norm, but that isn't stopping Robert Wiseman Dairies, one of the biggest dairies in England, from digitizing the paper-based documents used out in the fields, including proof of deliveries, supplier responses, various correspondence, vendor invoices, and credit notes, and integrating them into its ERP system to keep a tight handle on its business. The dairy's system employs various Kodak scanners and Kofax's Ascent software, which captures documents from the company's five dairies and 13 distribution depots, and uploads them into an IBM content management system and Intentia ERP system running on its iSeries server in Glasgow, Scotland. "The Kofax Ascent platform provides an environment where any of the remote dairies or depots can process documents in a secure manner," says Simon Wood, the dairies' senior analyst programmer. "They are now indexed properly and shared with the home office." According to Anthony Macciola, vice president of product management at Kofax, the use of Ascent has had a positive effect on the dairies' business, including improved cash flow through better control over accounts payables, increased customer satisfaction levels through faster responsiveness, tighter relationships with their suppliers, and reduced costs through automation. Just about everybody in the company benefits from the new system--except the cows, of course.

IIS and Customer to Discuss Benefits of Workflow at OracleWorld

Image Integration Systems, the developer of the Windows-based DocuSphere content management and workflow software that is used at hundreds of OS/400 shops, will be presenting a session with a customer at Oracle's OpenWorld 2005 user conference today. The customer, Benderson Development, will discuss some of the benefits it has seen over the last 10 years since it has been using IIS' DocuSphere Content Manager to augment its core J.D. Edwards World ERP application. While the World suite is renown for its capabilities, it just wasn't up to snuff in some key areas. For example, Benderson was able to reduce data entry 30 to 50 percent by using the DocuSphere accounts payable software that captures invoices and routs them electronically for approval, according to IIS. "For years, large ERP software providers have painted a rosy picture for potential customers of a one-size-fits-all, everything-you-need-in-one-package ERP software suite," says Ron Kelley, vice president of business development for IIS. "Even with recent acquisitions, these ERP vendors still fall short in offering a single software suite that manages every aspect of an enterprise."

Software AG Enhances Legacy Modernization Toolset

Software AG last week unveiled enhancements to its ApplinX legacy application modernization solution, including support for the open source Eclipse development environment, support for Fujitsu-Siemens BS2000/OSD operating system, and foreign language support for Arabic, Farsi. and Turkish. Additional enhancements for ApplinX, which also supports 5250 applications, include support for Natural data uploads and downloads, the capability to make global changes to a group of screens, instant extensions, and support for HTML Document Object Model (DOM). Software AG acquired the ApplinX product suite from Israeli software firm Sabratec earlier this year (see Acquisition of Sabratec Gives Software AG the SOA Story).

OS/400 Shop Figures in Novell's Linux Desktop Battle

Is Linux making gains on the desktop versus Windows? According to SuSE Linux developer Novell it is improving its market share in Europe, and it cites an OS/400 shop as part of the shift. The Utah company says cost and security are driving IT organizations to choose Linux over Windows for transactional, engineering, and fixed-function workstations at public and private sector organizations. One of the companies cited by Novell is ARS Altmann, an automotive logistics solutions provider based in Germany that is planning to begin its roll-out of Linux on the desktop in October. "Our goal is to achieve a higher security level and single sign-on for a number of applications, systems and databases including our DB2 database on IBM iSeries," says Peter Laubsch, ARS Altmann's IT manager. Other organizations making the move include a Norwegian school district that's migrating 40 schools from Windows to Novell Linux Desktop, and SEB Eesti Uhispank, the largest bank in Estonia, which is using Novell Linux Desktop for bank teller workstations, and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server for servers and the data center.