http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfhindex.html Description When Frank Soltis, the chief scientist for the i platform, is introduced these says as the Father of the AS/400, he sometimes likes to point out that this is not exactly a correct title for him. Technically speaking, Soltis says, he is the grandfather of the AS/400, and in fact is a man who is celebrating many anniversaries relating to the computing platform this year--not just the 20th birthday of the AS/400, which happened on Saturday but which IBM is celebrating throughout the month of June around the world. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story01.html The second quarter must be working out alright for the i platform, if the relative dearth of deals from IBM is any indication. Maybe Big Blue, its resellers, and its customers all agree that the new Power 520, 550, and 570 machines are all priced pretty much where they need to be, so there is no need to wheel and deal. But, some customers always need a little sweetener, and that is why IBM announced a rebate deal on the new and older generations of entry i platforms. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story02.html As all of us who grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s can tell you, three is the magic number. And as many of you know, while working alone as an IT consultant and having the freedom to set your own work schedule, build your own client base, and do the kind of work you find rewarding is a beautiful thing, sometimes it would be very useful if we could get cloned and thereby cover more customers and leave less money on the table. That is, of course, why professionals form partnerships, and often they form limited liability corporations. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story03.html On December 7, 2005, the Air Force released its new mission statement: 'The Mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests--to fly and fight in air, space, and cyberspace.' Besides noting that the Air Force should expand its mission to include hiring an English major to fix that tortured bit of writing, it is worth observing that the Air Force has taken an active interest in cyberspace. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story04.html In a vaguely worded statement released by server reseller and application software provider Agilysys, which has a substantial presence in the i ecosystem, the company indicated that it might be putting itself up for sale. The company, which is based in Boca Raton, Florida, has also deferred its annual meeting until the bankers at JPMorgan Chase finish up doing the financial analysis and laying out a strategy for the company. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story05.html Last week, I reminded you--as if you needed to be reminded--of the AS/400's impending 20th birthday, which hit on June 21. It has been a long and sometimes wacky journey to get here, and it occurs to me as IBM is celebrating the AS/400's birthday at the Rochester, Minnesota, lab and factory today on Monday, with Bill Zeitler and some customers flying out to the site, that many of us have long and interesting histories with the AS/400. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story06.html As part of the 20th birthday celebrations for the AS/400 platform today in IBM's Rochester, Minnesota, facility, the company will be announcing the Commercial Performance Workload (CPW) performance ratings on the top-end Power6-based Power 595 running the new i 6.1 operating system. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story07.html In the wake of my word cloud stories based on data ripped out of the major online job sites, I got wind from one intrepid reader of The Four Hundred about a Web site that is expressly dedicated to categorizing and indexing jobs for the AS/400 platform and its progeny. So I thought I would tell you about it, as this reader suggested, just in case you haven't heard of it. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story08.html A new survey commissioned by IBM indicates that the deployment of service oriented architectures (SOAs) is on the uptake compared to previous years, and remains a top business priority for 2008, despite the tough economy. While large companies are moving forward with their SOA strategies, there is little evidence it is trickling down to the vast majority of IT shops that are small and midsized businesses. http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story09.html Bsafe Information Systems, a security software company that makes products for the OS/400 and i5/OS platform, announced last week that Avi Cramer is the company's new chief executive officer. Bsafe's chairman of the board, Charles Benchabat, praised the selection of Cramer, saying the new CEO will benefit the company with his abilities to 'forge strategy and strategic relationships' http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh062308-story10.html