DB2 Is the Next Logical eServer Convergence
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

IBM has at three distinct relational databases sold under the umbrella name of DB2: one for OS/400 servers, one for mainframe servers, and another for Windows, Unix, and Linux servers. Having watched the eServer hardware platform consolidation, which could result in the mainframe merging into the Power server line in coming years, I'm wondering if DB2 is next. I think it's time for IBM to revisit its relational database past, and dig deeper into the first such software it ever sold: the integrated database in the System/38 and the AS/400. READ MORE >

Is .NET a Litmus Test for iSeries Loyalty?
by Dan Burger

The problem is proprietary systems. They tend to make choices either black or white, with no possibility for varying shades of gray. For instance, you don't have to study the IBM iSeries Developer Roadmap to notice there is nothing in it about Microsoft .NET. Windows and RPG are like dynamite and matches. You don't want to get the two of them too close to each other, right? But if that's true, how do you describe Java and RPG? That's an explosive mixture as well. READ MORE >

Why Do Rack Servers Persist When Blade Servers Are Better?
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

In December, I attended UBS Server Forum, a gathering of Wall Street players, IT executives, and IT vendors. About half of the presentations were somehow concerned with blade servers or blade PCs. The blade server is one of those "eureka!" ideas that makes intuitive sense, and everyone at the forum was generally optimistic about their prospects in the IT market. But while listening to IBM, Hewlett-Packard, RLX Technologies, and ClearCube Technology talk about the blade market, I kept wondering why rack-mounted servers persist when blade servers are clearly better for whole classes of applications. READ MORE >

As I See It: Surviving a Job Loss
by Victor Rozek

Stay in the work force long enough, and chances are you will eventually lose a job. You may be fired for good cause or bad, laid off for economic reasons, or become redundant because of a merger or an acquisition. And if those reasons don't suffice, you may simply be downsized, rightsized, outsourced, offshored, or separated from the company. The result, however, will be the same: someone will have decided to terminate your employment, thereby depriving you of your livelihood. READ MORE >

  But Wait, There's More

Forrester Research Praises the eServer i5 . . . The i5 Tops SAP Warehousing Benchmark . . . Arrow Helps Partners Push the iSeries . . . IBM Offers New Hardware Management Console for i5, p5 . . . Financing Advantage Helps IBM Speed Up Deals For SMBs . . . Gartner Points Out 'Gotchas' for Business Intelligence . . . Intentia Hires New American President . . . READ MORE >

Reader Feedback and Insights

In January, readers responded to Timothy Prickett Morgan's interview with IBM's top marketing executive for the iSeries line of servers, Peter Bingaman; recent developments in SCO's lawsuit against IBM; Bruce Guetzkow's introduction to WDSc table views; and Ted Holt's tip on Save-Restore commands. READ MORE >

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