Power7: Upgrade or Sidestep, Start Planning Now
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

With the Power 750, 770, and 780 machines here with their shiny new eight-core Power7 processors and the future Power 720 entry and Power 795 high-end servers still on the horizon, now is a good time to start thinking about the upgrade options you face in 2010 if you are running out of gas on your existing iron and your company has budget to buy some new iron this year. If your company doesn't have budget for upgrades, your life may not be any easier, but your options are simpler. READ MORE >

IBM Flexes Java Muscles on Power7 Iron
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

The benchmark test results are starting to trickle out on IBM's Power7 servers running the i for Business operating system. Last week, I told you about the SAP data warehousing tests that Big Blue did to compare the new Power 750s to older Power-based systems running i 6.1. This week, let's take a look at the SPECjbb2005 benchmark from the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. The Power 750 did alright compared to its AIX and Linux brethren, best I can figure. READ MORE >

IBM Looks Back on 2000s, Sets Sites on Next Decade
by Alex Woodie

As an IBM System i user, you may think you have a good idea who and what IBM is. After all, for over three decades the titan of American high-tech has consistently delivered and supported perhaps the most dependable business computing platform ever developed. But as Big Blue's recent annual report clearly shows, the Power Systems platform is a vestige of the old IBM business model, and the new IBM, as evidenced from its 'Smarter Planet' initiative, is all about software and services. READ MORE >

As I See It: A Different Currency
by Victor Rozek

It all seems like a fairy tale now, as if I am recalling events that took place long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away. But believe it or not, there was a time when businesses actually competed for skilled IT professionals. In the early 1980s, when Silicon Valley was booming, job-hopping was a way of life. The need for IT skills was urgent, and those who had them were regularly besieged by recruiters. Enticed by higher salaries, signing bonuses, and ridiculous perks, defections were as common as keyboards. READ MORE >