IBM Close to Delivering DB2/400 Storage Engine for MySQL
by Alex Woodie

IBM is nearing completion of new software that will enable DB2/400 to power the open source MySQL database, according to industry sources. When complete, the new software will enable organizations that run PHP applications running on MySQL on i OS to access data stored in DB2/400, the i OS's native database, without modifying MySQL or PHP. The software reportedly is in beta tests, with a formal announcement expected soon. READ MORE >

PKS Provides the Missing Link from RPG to EGL
by Alex Woodie

It's been a little more than a year since IBM started promoting its previously mainframe-focused Enterprise Generation Language (EGL) as a way for System i shops to move to Java. Instead of writing RPG, the thinking goes, System i shops would develop in EGL, and then generate platform-neutral Java code. However, that plan did not address the problem of what to do with all that RPG code, and how to get started in EGL. Now, thanks to the work of PKS Software, IBM has a tool for converting RPG into EGL. READ MORE >

VAI Evolving Products to Meet Customers' Future Needs
by Alex Woodie

With all of the consolidation that's hit the i5/OS ERP software market in recent years, there's one name that hasn't been called: Vormittag Associates Inc., or VAI as it's now known. But it's not for lack of effort by the consolidators, according to Bob Vormittag, the founder and CEO of the New York software company, who says he still turns down offers to sell the company. Instead of taking the quick buck, Vormittag has found that listening to customers and meeting their needs is more satisfying--not to mention profitable as well. READ MORE >

IBM Delivers New Storage Options for i
by Alex Woodie

Among last week's IBM Power announcements was the debut of the System Storage 7214 Tape and DVD Enclosure Express, a new product that allows users to externally connect one or two DAT, LTO, or DVD drives to Power Systems servers via SAS connections. The 7214 Express is designed for use where there is no room for additional storage in the server's internal bays, and where space is limited or non-existent in rack-mounted servers. READ MORE >