IBM Gives Pink Slips to 1,000 or More at Server Group
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Probably about the only thing that is more difficult than hiring people is firing people. But the managers at IBM's Server Group, which is an umbrella organization covering Big Blue's four current server product lines as well as the forgotten NUMA-Q line, got the task of handing out 1,000 or more pink slips last week just before the Memorial Day holiday weekend got rolling. IBM has not made any official announcements, and all the reported layoffs are based on rumors and internal e-mails. READ MORE >

Eclipse-Enabled WebSphere Development Studio Due June 28
by Dan Burger

IBM is gearing up for WebSphere Development Studio for iSeries V5R2, but in the meantime it is delivering an enhanced version of V5R1. The refreshed V5R1 will be the first iSeries tool that can snap into the open-source Eclipse integrated development environment. It will be delivered June 28. IBM is pushing Eclipse as a way of unifying the development experiences of programmers across many platforms, and to undermine the competing NetBeans open-source initiative sponsored by rival Sun Microsystems. READ MORE >

IBM Fights Fast400 Governor Buster with Licensing Contracts
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

For months now, IBM's OS/400 systems programmers have been playing a game of cat and mouse trying to defeat the Fast400 green-screen governor buster program that helps 5250 applications get around artificial performance barriers imposed on AS/400 and iSeries hardware. Now IBM is hauling out the OS/400 licensing contracts in an attempt to discourage OS/400 shops from using Fast400 to get around paying to the 5250 feature cards that enable interactive processing capacity. It was only a matter of time. READ MORE >

Server Sales Down in First Quarter, Says Gartner
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

If you're wondering why server vendors are knocking on your door these days, the answer is simple: The server market is contracting. Potential server buyers are flush with excess capacity, but not with cash. Server vendors big and small are chasing the same shrinking budget pie, and slashing prices to make demand where there isn't any. Hence, the worldwide server market shrank by 15 percent in the first quarter, says the Dataquest unit of consultancy Gartner. READ MORE >

Admin Alert: Using BRMS for Online Domino Database Backup
by Joe Hertvik

When using an iSeries or AS/400 to support Domino servers, there is a major problem in backing up Domino databases while the server is active. Users demand 24/7 access to Domino e-mail and other databases. These files are incredibly dynamic, and you may have, for example, hundreds of e-mail databases changing by the hour. When restoring a Domino e-mail database, you need the freshest backups possible because of the timely nature of e-mail. New e-mails won't be on old backup tapes. READ MORE >

J.D. Edwards Launches New Suite of Enterprise Apps
by Alex Woodie

J.D. Edwards has started the rollout of the next version of its enterprise applications, named J.D. Edwards 5, to commemorate the fifth generation of the company's software. The new suite will not mark a wholesale shift from what the software giant was already shipping, with the OneWorld ERP suite and associated supply chain, CRM, and business intelligence components. Rather, company officials say J.D. Edwards 5 represents a "major direction statement" and lays the foundation for technology to come. READ MORE >

But Wait, There's More . . .

Microsoft Acquires Retail App Specialist . . . Sage Objects to Navision Deal . . . Infinium Strikes OEM Deal with Cognos . . . AMR Research Ranks Manhattan Associates the No. 1 Warehouse Management Systems Vendor . . . Intentia Promotes Linux Parker to President of American Operations . . . READ MORE >

As I See It: Career Move
by Victor Rozek

In all the years that Ward Cleaver "went to the office," we never actually found out what he did there. Whatever it was, it appeared to be steady and none too taxing. No need for a nightly pitcher of martinis. Old Ward made it home at a decent hour, never complained about his management, didn't fret about the Beaver's college fund or the cost of June's new vacuum cleaner, and had enough money left over to keep Wally in Brylcream. READ MORE >

Reader Feedback and Insights

We value your feedback and your insights into the OS/400 market. Feel free to drop us a letter to the editor and we will post them in a reader feedback column associated with this newsletter. READ MORE >