The Possibilities for Open Access for RPG
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

As I sit here on Thursday afternoon, IBM has not yet confirmed that there are product announcements coming out this week relating to the Power Systems platform, much less mentioned the new i 7.1 operating system, perhaps a new Power Systems 720 or 795 if we are lucky (because I like to chew on iron), or the Open Access for RPG tool that we caught some hints about at the end of last year and once again in early March. READ MORE >

IBM's Smartie and Pizzazz Clusters--Still i-Less
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

IBM and its peers in the IT racket have a way of making even neat technology sound boring with the public product names they choose, even if they do show a little flair with product names from time to time when those products are in development. So it is with data analytics and online transaction processing clusters that Big Blue rolled out last week, which I am rechristening the Smartie and Pizzazz systems because, well, because I just can't stand typing Smart Analytics System and PureScale Application Server every time I mention the machines. READ MORE >

How To Match Modernization Projects and Business Strategy
by Dan Burger

You may know it as application modernization, but depending on who's doing the talking, you might also find terms like application rationalization and enterprise modernization used to describe similar IT projects. Everyone agrees, however, that success incorporates a business plan. Whether your business runs on an IBM i (iSeries and AS/400 terminology preferences accepted), Microsoft Windows, Hewlett-Packard HP-UX,Oracle Solaris Unix, or any other platform makes no difference. Modernization is not something only one set of platforms have to cope with. They all have issues. READ MORE >

As I See It: Mining in the Anthropocene Epoch
by Victor Rozek

Movie images can be powerful and enduring. Years after they no longer reside in our conscious mind, they are still stored in memory, which is why Barack Obama owes Sidney Poitier a debt of gratitude. Back in 1967 when civil rights advocates were greeted with dogs, fire hoses, beatings, and worse, Poitier made a movie called In the Heat of the Night. It showed us that a black man could be better looking, smarter, more articulate, and a better dresser than a white man. Candidate Obama didn't have to wholly reinvent the image because for a generation of voters it was already subliminally established by the character of Mr. Tibbs. READ MORE >