Utility Service/400: Making the iSeries into a Different Market
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

As 2005 was drawing to a close, there was a lot of activity surrounding a new twist on a very old idea: the compute utility. Well, to be more precise, utilities are an old idea that were perfected during that industrial revolution for water distribution (and other related public water works such as sewage disposal), transportation, energy distribution, and communications. The question that the IT community is pondering is whether it is possible or desirable for there to be a utility or a collection of utilities for data processing, data storage, networking, and collaboration. READ MORE >

Waiting for Linux to Pull Its Own Weight on the iSeries
by Dan Burger

In a few weeks, IBM will be delivering an update to OS/400, which has been i5/OS for the past year. Everyone knows its reputation for handling heavy-duty workloads by virtue of its impressive architecture and long list of applications. As an iSeries customer, you firmly believe that you get what you pay for. For instance, you get the capability to run multiple operating systems. In the past, OS/400 may have been enough. But as you look ahead, and certainly as IBM looks ahead, Linux could begin pulling more and more weight. READ MORE >

What's in Store for 2006? The iSeries Community Predicts
by Mary Lou Roberts

One of the best games for the end of one year and the beginning of a new one is sitting around the fire with friends, sipping egg nog, munching on cookies, feeding Aunt Millie's fruitcake to the dogs (who actually like it), and reminiscing about times past. But even more fun (especially after the libations have mellowed the guests) are the predictions of what's to come in the new year. Folks in the iSeries community are no slouches at prognosticating their own futures, and several of them were kind enough to share their thoughts--some of them obviously tongue in cheek--with me. READ MORE >

As I See It: Balance
by Victor Rozek

This is the time of year that invites assorted foolish commitments to change and self discipline. And if you are among the legions of the overworked, you may be contemplating a little more balance in your life. Well, good luck. What manager wouldn't be thrilled to have his 60-hour-a-week star employee morph into a 40-hour-a-week plodder. Face it, working for a salary is like playing baseball: The game has no time limit. You'll be standing under the hot sun until your team records 27 outs. Then you can go home. READ MORE >