Smackdown: Linux on X64 Versus IBM i on Entry Power 7XXs
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

IBM should be grateful that Linux and open source relational databases like MySQL (now from Oracle) and PostgreSQL (which is commercially supported by EnterpriseDB are about as unfamiliar as Vulcan is to those who speak Klingon but have managed a little broken English. (Yes, that was a metaphor for Unix or Linux, IBM i, and Windows.) Because as cheap as the more familiar Windows entry servers are compared to entry and midrange Power7 servers, Linux systems are even less costly. READ MORE >

Get Database Skills for Career ROI
by Dan Burger

The IBM i job market is meat grinder these days for IT workers. The lucky ones are fighting to hang on to the jobs they have, while the unlucky are struggling to put their IT talents to work again. On either side of that great divide, there are people benefiting from having better tools in their toolboxes than the person next to them. I'm talking about specialized skills and, in particular, I'm talking about database skills where there is short supply and a growing demand. READ MORE >

Let's Take a Deep Dive Into IBM's System Sales in Q3
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Well, I took a little time last week and I found the bug in my Excel spreadsheet model of IBM's quarterly revenues for its systems, and that means this week I can tell you what I think happened in the server racket for Big Blue in the third quarter. You will recall that back in August I admitted that something was wacky in my model where it broke server sales down by platform type, and it turns out I had three cells in the chart that were making absolute references instead of variable ones as I cascaded the equations. Anyway, it is all fixed, and I am happy to share the updated Q2 and now Q3 figures with you. READ MORE >

Mad Dog 21/21: Wither Thou Ghost--That IBM-Fortinet Halloween Deal
by Hesh Wiener

IBM was about to buy security gadget maker Fortinet, said a Bloomberg news service story published as Halloween weekend began. By the time the weekend was over, so, too, was the hypothesized acquisition. Fortinet said there was no such deal. It's kind of a shame, because IBM could have picked up a seasoned shenanigans expert, Hong Liang Lu, improving IBM's potential for corporate mischief, which has not yet recovered from the loss of former Systems and Technology Group GM, Bob Moffat. But don't give up on IBM yet. READ MORE >