Building a Legacy
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

The IBM i platform and its bigger brother, the System z mainframe, take a lot of guff for being a legacy platform. But guess what? Solaris is turning 30 next year, as is HP-UX the year after that. AIX will be 25 this year, Windows server variants are almost 20 years old (remember Windows for Workgroups 3.1?), and Linux pretty much freeze-dried after a hectic 20 years of development. OS/400, of course, just turned 23 last week, but has deeper roots back into CPFon the System/38 in 1978 and SSP on the System/36 in 1983. They are all legacy environments as far as I am concerned. READ MORE >

Cloud Computing: Just Another Word for the Internet?
by Alex Woodie

When terminology from the IT department breaks through into the mainstream culture, you know you're onto something really hot. This is the case with the term and the concept behind cloud computing, which has spread like a west Texas prairie fire. However, for all the hype surrounding cloud computing, surveys show that only a fraction of organizations have adopted or are actively pondering a cloud offering. And the most popular cloud application? Email. Apparently, the cloud is the same as the Internet. READ MORE >

Winners and Users: IBM's ISV and SMB Choices
by Dan Burger

The manner in which IBM co-exists with its independent software vendors (ISVs) says a lot about how Big Blue has changed its business plans in the Lou Gerstner-Sam Palmisano era. The IBM i user base is a good example, even though it is unique in many ways. None of IBM's other platforms have or had the participation of so many application and tool vendors. From the time the AS/400 was introduced, it was the application server. And it was extremely successful. Thanks, in large part, to the ISV community. READ MORE >

Mad Dog 21/21: In Hack Signo Vinces
by Hesh Wiener

Would you want your company to be highlighted in the news like Citibank, the International Monetary Fund, Lockheed Martin, Google, and Sony? Maybe not. Recently, they all became famous when high tech vandals invaded their computer systems. Of course you might think you are safe because you're True Blue and IBM's products and its developers' skills will protect you. Think again. READ MORE >