Top OS/400 Stories from Around the Web

(Guild Companies) New OS/400 salary information is out. OS/400 salary increases are shrinking, but they still outpace inflation. This is a good preview article for Nate Viall and Associates' third-quarter 2002 OS/400 manager and programmer salary survey. There's some interesting information here including how OS/400 salaries stack up against the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) since 1988, a history of AS/400 salary increases, why OS/400 professionals may not be getting salary cuts during the current recession, and the bad news behind some of the data.

(Guild Companies) IBM ends several popular iSeries "Bumblebee" promotions. After killing off its iSeries high availability promotion two weeks ago, IBM followed that act last week by also killing a bunch of Bumblebee promotions that offered rebates on iSeries machines equipped with specific middleware applications (such as iSeries for Linux, iSeries for IBS, and iSeries for Intentia).

(MC Press Online) IBM and CIOview unveil a new TCOnow series of tools for comparing iSeries, xSeries, pSeries, and zSeries total cost of ownership against Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun. These tools are available in limited versions on the Internet and the complete toolset can produce a report (up to 70 pages) documenting IBM servers' TCO versus your own servers.

(Guild Companies) Imaginative marketer Malcolm Haines returns to IBM. The former OS/400 Minister of Propaganda--the man who blanketed London taxicabs with AS/400 messages, pioneered the use of graffiti in advertising, and used giant blimps, ultra-long stretch limousines, and ballet to promote OS/400 servers--is back as the iSeries Chief Imagination Officer. Find out what that could mean for iSeries marketing in 2003.

(Guild Companies) The iDeal iSeries, Part 4. In this installment, the iMaginary iDeal iSeries machines are compared to the real IBM iSeries product line as well as to Intel-based servers. Find out what an imaginative approach to iSeries pricing and marketing might do in the real-life marketplace, if it only had a chance.

(Guild Companies) The iDeal iSeries, Part 5. In the final chapter, the hyper-competitive iDeal iSeries machine gets to the bottom line regarding what it could do for IBM's financial results. Could imaginative packaging and pricing create a new iSeries renaissance? It would seem to be so. Now if we could only get IBM to take these (or similar) ideas seriously.

(Guild Companies) But Wait, There's More--There's plenty of business news in the iSeries market as BWTM covers QAD's new deal with IBM to standardize on Big Blue's middleware stack; Jack Henry & Associates' acquisition of CU Solutions; IBM's withdrawal of its big-dollar rebates on iSeries high availability solutions; and Microsoft's decision to delay its "Whistler" kicker to Windows 2000 until April 2003.

(Guild Companies) But Wait, There's More--For those who like their industry news in quick glimpses, BWTM does just that as it covers new OS/400 PTF guides; former IBM chairman Lou Gerstner's new job as chairman of The Carlyle Group, a global defense contractor that counts former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former English Prime Minister John Major, former Secretary of State James Baker, and other politicos among its associates; MKS' announcement that its software change management package is now compatible with WebSphere Development Studio client 4.0; the favorable results of EUR Systems' Aptis Java application benchmark tests at IBM's Rochester, Minnesota labs; and IBM and Varsity Logic's announcement that they will integrate Varsity's ShipSoft transportation application with IBM's ASW ERP and warehouse management application.

Vendor Announcements, Promotions And Deals

(IBM) IBM announced the Total Usage Financing plan, which is designed to complement Big Blue's e-business on-demand initiative. This plan is designed so customers can finance up-front costs for on-demand projects while also providing pre-approved lines of credit to cover ongoing usage charges.

(Guild Companies) Last week, J.D. Edwards announced a reorganization plan that puts the vice president in charge of JDE's WorldSoftware product line in direct communication with the company president, CEO, and chairman. More than 4,000 JDE customers run in the OS/400 environment. This reorganization could definitely help get their concerns voiced to the man at the top.

(Guild Companies) MAPICS acquired rival ERP vendor Frontstep. In this deal, MAPICS expects to exchange 4.2 million shares of its stock for all outstanding shares of Frontstep, making the company worth about $25 million to $30 million. Regulatory and shareholder approval is still pending. Together the two companies have approximately 4,800 customers in 10,400 sites worldwide and total annual revenues approaching $200 million.

(Guild Companies) SEDONA, a provider of customer loyalty software for banks and financial services institutions, announced last week that it plans to sell its customer base to Fiserv, a $1.9 billion conglomerate that services the financial services sector. Although the deal came just days after the company was unable to secure outside financing to rectify a severe bankruptcy-threatening cash shortage, SEDONA says the move is part of an on-going process to move to an indirect sales model where SEDONA will continue to develop software and sell it through a new network of resellers.

(Guild Companies) CMS Manufacturing Systems, one of the top vendors for bringing new customers to the iSeries, announced a free CMS Production Analysis Tool Kit. The tool kit is a set of four PC-based programs that allows shop-floor managers to graphically view historical performance data, track material use, create alternative production scenarios, and measure the performance of the alternative schedules against shop-floor goals. It looks like a sweet upgrade for existing CMS/400 customers with current maintenance agreements.

(Guild Companies) Midrange Consulting Enterprises released two new versions of its programmer utilities software. The CATalog Version 3.1 disk space management utility adds a Full-function display screen and a new report that shows file owners and the authorities assigned for each file. RapidFire/400 Version 2.6 fixes some minor problems found in earlier releases and also includes the capability to output information to an external printer file or to a display. RapidFire/400 also supports the automatic generation of parameter-passing code. Pricing for RapidFire/400 has dramatically changed as the company is now offering the software for the price of a yearly maintenance fee ($495) instead of the full license fee, which was $4,995.

(Guild Companies) ezRad.Com reported that the PalmView/400 software--which allows users to view DB2/400 data on a Palm Pilot--will be entering beta shortly. PalmView/400 licenses are priced at $8,995. Writer Alex Woodie caught up with ezRad.com founder Mike Broadway to discuss this product, how no one else is doing OS/400-to-Palm integration very well yet, and some of the product features and functionalities. PalmView/400 is expected to be ready before the COMMON Spring 2003 conference in Indianapolis.

(Guild Companies) SuSE announced a new version of its Linux Enterprise Server. Linux Enterprise Server 8 is based on the UnitedLinux 1.0 consolidated Linux version that was put together by SuSE, Turbolinux, The SCO group, and Connectiva (UnitedLinux is intended to combat Linux market leader Red Hat). The SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 implementation of UnitedLinux 1.0 has been certified on IBM's entire line of eServer products--iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, and zSeries.

(Guild Companies) News Briefs and Product Shorts--Pentasafe debuts a new data console that allows administrations to perform security functions in their data centers; HTE has a new contract with the University of Washington to provide public safety applications; Zephyr announces its PASSPORT Web-to-host software can now be deployed on a BEA WebLogic application servers running on an OS/400, mainframe, or Unix server; Infinium's deal with Majestic Star Casino to provide back-end accounting functionality on Majestic's OS/400 servers; IPNet Solutions releases BizManager400 2.3 software, which allows OS/400 shops to send and receive EDI transactions over the Internet; and CommerceQuest makes a deal with DENTSPLY International to license CommerceQuest's Business Process Integrator software.

New Redbooks, White Papers, and Other OS/400 Resources

(Guild Companies) New OS/400 PTF guide from DLB Associates, available as of November 30. IBM slowed down on PTFs for the holidays, only offering new Hipers for OS/400 V5R2, V5R1, and V4R5.

(IBM) New Client Access Express for Windows V5R1 service pack is due. IBM is scheduled to release a new SP, so check out the iSeries Access Service Packs for Supported Releases Web site listed here to see if it's ready yet.

(IBM) Lotus Domino Maintenance Release V5.0.11 for iSeries Web page--This Web site explains all the new features in Domino V5.0.11 for iSeries. Contains links to release notes, compatibility, and v5.0.11 installers. Also watch for the Domino v6.0.1 maintenance release, which is scheduled for a January 2003 debut.

(IBM) How to (legally) print multiple copies of IBM Redbooks or make them available to multiple users on an enterprise or intranet server. IBM put up a Web page explaining the limits of Redbook reproduction, and how to request permission online to reproduce a Redbook.

(IBM) Draft Redbook: Enabling Web Services for the iSeries Server--This Redbook covers developing iSeries Web services, including a Web services sample application using WebSphere Development Studio Client for iSeries, and how to enable iSeries Web services with WebSphere Application Server.

(IBM) Draft Redbook: iSeries Server Migration--A Guide to Server Upgrades at V5R1 and V5R2. Covers a lot of V5Rx topics including PCI technology, High-Speed Link (HSL) configuration, LPAR migrations, and V5R1 and V5R2 software considerations.

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

December 10--Pentasafe will be hosting the "iSeries Security Basics with Wayne O. Evans" Webinar. Wayne will be discussing basic iSeries security, how to pass audits faster, and how to protect your company's business critical information. This event is free. To register, go to http://www.pentasafe.com/events/moreinfo.asp?ID=668&webinar=1 .

December 10--LANSA will host its LANSA UK and Eire User Group meeting at the National Assembly of Wales, Cathys Park, Cardiff, UK. LANSA sessions will showcase its latest technology and demonstrate how customers utilize LANSA for competitive advantage. For more information, go to http://www.lansa.com/support/usergroups.htm#uk .

January 13-17--ASNA presents "Integrating Visual RPG with the Web and Intranets" in San Antonio, Texas. This seminar provides techniques for broadcasting and collecting your AS/400 data on the Web with ASNA Visual RPG and Caviar. For more information, go to http://www.asna.com/seminar_AVR_Web.asp .

February 10-13--Help/Systems will host its twelfth annual iSeries Operations Automation User Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference agenda ranges from formal discussions on the future of the iSeries to personal development topics. Register by December 31 and receive a $50 discount. To learn more and register, go to http://www.helpsystems.com/education/userconf.html .

March 5-7--Registration is open for ASNApalooza 2003 in San Antonio, Texas. ASNApalooza is three days of ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) instruction and technical insight. Early discount rates are in effect until December 31. For more information, go to http://palooza.asna.com .