Q&A With Power Systems Top Brass, Part One
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

The editorial team from The Four Hundred had a pow-wow with the top brass in the Power and z Systems division within IBM's converged Systems and Software Group. Tom Rosamilia, who was tapped to run both the Power and mainframe lines at IBM last August, had been running the mainframe line before that July 2010 reorganization and was in charge of the WebSphere line of middleware within Software Group before that. READ MORE >

CAD Vendor PTC Has Designs on ALM Vendor MKS
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Here's an acquisition deal you probably didn't see coming, that might seem a bit odd at first, but then makes perfect sense once you think about it for a few seconds. Computer-aided design (CAD) software maker Parametric Technology, which has expanded through a slew of acquisitions since 1998, has added one more: application lifecycle management (ALM) software maker MKS. READ MORE >

Slightly Chilly Reception for COMMON in Minneapolis
by Alex Woodie

The weather was a barometer of sorts for last week's COMMON conference in Minneapolis. Just as snow flurries and gusty winds drove people to find cover, and embarrassed natives of the Minnesota city swore that it was warm and sunny just a week earlier, officials with the largest IBM i user group struggled (and mostly succeeded) in finding success with the annual gathering, which recorded a slight uptick in attendance but ho-hum reviews from vendors. READ MORE >

As I See It: No Sitting
by Victor Rozek

Outside my window, the robins are working the morning shift, bouncing around in no apparent direction, searching for the unsuspecting worm. When they find one, they grab an end, lean back, and pull. The worm visibly stretches, like a glistening rubber band, and finally snaps into the waiting beak. After a couple of gulps, the bird hops off in search of fresh meat. READ MORE >