In Orlando, Optimism Returns
by Alex Woodie

It would be tempting to say that things couldn't have gotten much worse for COMMON following the dreadful conference in Reno this time last year, when the global economy was melting down. In reality, things could have gotten much, much worse for the 50-year-old user group. But thanks to a variety of reasons--including a better economic climate and the impressive announcements from IBM--the optimism was as obvious as the Florida humidity during last week's show at the Orlando Hilton. READ MORE >

Open Access for RPG Grabs Attention at COMMON
by Dan Burger

RPG is king. If you don't believe it, go to COMMON. OK, it is the big fish in the small pond scenario if you're looking at the entire IT universe, but these are IBM i enthusiasts and for the majority of them RPG rules. If you are curious about the reaction to the tool IBM calls the Rational Open Access RPG Edition and that everyone else calls RPG Open Access, you wouldn't be the Lone Ranger. READ MORE >

Let's Take Another Stab at Power7 Blade Bang for the Buck
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

In last week's issue of The Four Hundred, I created a slew of configured Power7-based blade systems, loading up i 7.1 and AIX 6.1 with two relational databases, and I said that the premium that IBM was charging was small enough to be a sign of progress. Surprising, even. What was even more surprising to me was finding out I made a big error configuring the Power System 701 blades and a small one setting up the AIX blades. And those errors make the i blades look downright awful compared to the AIX blades. READ MORE >

Mad Dog 21/21: Hot Deals and the Cool Server Nurseries
by Hesh Wiener

You might not think that corporate computer executives shop for servers the way canny bargain hunters shop for laundry detergent, but if that's how you see things you are missing something. Business buyers aren't ashamed of cashing in coupons. If anyone is shy about doing business this way, it's IBM. But with Power box sales down sharply, IBM has to stifle all that smart planet folderol and cut to the chase. By one means or another, Big Blue has to get the attention of prospective customers who like to play Dell or No Dell. READ MORE >