IBM Uses Interns for the iSeries, and So Can You
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

During those times when I am feeling particularly overworked, I joke to my wife that what I really need is an intern or two so I can offload some work onto them in exchange for a chance to get some real work and a good reference. Having seen the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer gets an intern from New York University to do his bidding as he develops his crazy business ideas, I remember how that didn't exactly work out for Kramer or the intern, and then my wife looks at me kinda funny, too, so I put the kibosh on the whole idea. But in many cases--such as in the iSeries development labs, in ISVs, and maybe in your data center--an intern might be exactly what is called for to cultivate new talent. READ MORE >

Is the iSeries Really on an Upward Trend?
by Mary Lou Roberts

Merkin's Maxim states: "When in doubt, predict that the present trend will continue." That's clearly what a lot of iSeries fans and IBM employees in Rochester are hoping. At the COMMON midrange user group meeting last March, Mark Shearer, general manager for the iSeries line, predicted that this would be the year for the iSeries turnaround. And IBM has clearly been doing its best to make Shearer's prediction come true. After a long run of declining sales for the platform, in the first quarter of 2005, the iSeries finally moved back into the black. READ MORE >

IBM, Hyperion, and SPSS Part Ways on DB2 OLAP Server
by Alex Woodie

IBM last week formally announced the end of marketing and support for the OS/400, Windows, and Unix versions of DB2 OLAP Server, a collection of business intelligence products it resold through OEM agreements it had in place with Hyperion and SPSS. While IBM is separating itself from the powerful multidimensional database product line it has offered for almost a decade, its 400 so DB2 OLAP Server customers will continue to receive support through Hyperion (for Windows and Unix customers) and through SPSS (for iSeries customers). READ MORE >

As I See It: The Sanctity of Work
by Victor Rozek

Buddhists have great stories. One of my favorites is about a devout monk who was asked what he did before enlightenment? "Chop wood, carry water," he replied. And what did he do after enlightenment? "Chop wood, carry water," he shrugged. I like the story because it speaks to the inevitability of work. From household tasks to career choices, work is the great leveler. Few of us escape work entirely, and although those who do are usually blessed with wealth, they are much poorer for being idle. READ MORE >

   But Wait, There's More

IBM Allows Education Vouchers from i5 Sales to Be Used at COMMON . . . ERP Vendor IBS Acquires Quatro . . . iTera Expands Further into the Asia/Pacific Market . . . DataMirror Warns of Slippage in Fiscal Second Quarter . . . ASNA Gets on the Developer's Roadmap . . . Infor Joins IBM's ISV Advantage Program . . . Google Has a Sense of Humor, But It Doesn't Read Very Well . . . READ MORE >

Correction: The iSeries Is and Has Ever Been Profitable

Correction: This second story in this newsletter--"Is the iSeries Really on an Upward Trend?"--has been edited since it originally ran. In the first paragraph, we stupidly said that the iSeries had experienced a long time of "red ink," when what we meant to say was "declining sales." While there is no proof of this in IBM's financials, it is obvious to most iSeries observers that the iSeries platform continues to be very profitable, even with sales that are significantly lower than from years gone by. Not only does IT Jungle apologize for this error, we are deeply embarassed that this mistake was not edited out. READ MORE >

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