IBM i Chief Architect Tells Us Where We're At
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

When you are the IBM i chief architect, you are not just the top techie in charge of the platform, but you are also the unofficial and sometimes the official spokesperson for the platform to the outside world. That job was handled by Frank Soltis, the father of the System/38 and the grandfather of the AS/400, for more than three decades. And for the past couple of years, Steve Will has been chief architect and spokesperson, and has lately been making the rounds talking about where the IBM i platform is and where it is going. READ MORE >

Is Constellation Software on the Block?
by Alex Woodie

The first four months of 2011 has seen MandA return with a vengeance in the IT sector, and the IBM i software space has not disappointed, with deals announced for Lawson Software, Novell (by Attachmate), MKS, and Aldon, as well as rumors about a $1 billion-plus deal for Micro Focus. Now it appears that Constellation Software, which owns Friedman, Varsity Logistics, and other IBM i commercial assets, could be the next ISV to get sold. READ MORE >

Still Wanted: A Cheap--or Free---IBM i Development Workstation
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

I attended the Long Island System User Group's May Education Day last week along with my compatriot and editor of Four Hundred Guru, Ted Holt. While everybody was chewing on their dinner, I was asked to sing for my supper and talk about the IBM i platform along with Pete Massiello, president of both COMMON and iTech Solutions Group, and Al Grega, who was in charge of IBM's worldwide Rational tools sales for the past three years and has now taken over WebSphere sales for Big Blue's server platforms. READ MORE >

As I See It: The Finer Points of Relating
by Victor Rozek

How you do anything is how you do everything. This is one of those intriguing truisms that grew out of the personal growth movement. Although by no means absolute, there is enough verity in the observation to make it useful for identifying patterns of behavior. For example, it could explain the irritable workplace demeanor of a parent with a teenager at home. READ MORE >