Next Up on the System i5: Native GNU g++ and IBM XL C/C++
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

While the Java and C# programming languages and their respective Java Virtual Machine and Common Language Runtime environments for executing Java and C# programs get a lot of the glory these days, and there's plenty of excitement around PHP (also an interpreted language) as it moves into the commercial world from the Web, the simple fact remains that an awful lot of very good systems and application programs are still written in the C or C++ language. And that is why I think that IBM should offer support for a native, open source GNU g++ compiler on the System i. READ MORE >

WDSc V7.0: Componentization of Advanced Edition Is Not Enough
by Bruce Guetzkow

Over the past few weeks, there has been much discussion in this newsletter and elsewhere regarding IBM's announcement of the latest release of WebSphere Development Studio Client (WDSc), version 7.0. Most notable has been the ruckus caused by the deprecation of the CODE/400 toolset and the limiting availability of Screen Designer and Application Diagram to the costly Advanced Edition. READ MORE >

Gartner Says It Was "All Over" the Virtualization Effect
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Two weeks ago, IDC announced that it has revised its server sales forecasts to take into account the future effect that server virtualization (carving up a physical machine into multiple virtual ones) and multicore processors (putting two, four, or eight cores in a single CPU socket) will have on shipments in the market. The server box counters at Gartner took exception to our contention that IDC was the first to make such changes to server revenue and shipment models. READ MORE >

Kronos To Be Taken Private Through a $1.8 Billion Buyout
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Several weeks ago, when this newsletter reported on the very good financial results that workforce management software maker Kronos posted in its fiscal first quarter, I quipped that Kronos has come to dominate its niche software market and the only question about its future was why Oracle, Infor, or SAP had not acquired it yet. Last week, private equity firm Hellman & Friedman Capital Partners (H&F) shelled out $1.8 billion to take Kronos private and to keep keeping time all to itself. READ MORE >