COMMON Introduces New Educational Options

January 7, 2013 Dan Burger

The first thing you need to know about the COMMON RPG, PHP, and Application Modernization conference is that it is designed with specific education and training needs in mind. Application development in IBM midrange shops is a hot topic. And COMMON has chosen to make a break for its conferences with broad appeal to zero in on this subject. If this works, expect to see the COMMON Focused Educational Series to expand into other topic areas.

The second thing you need to know about this conference is that its sessions are very oriented on RPG and PHP. There are many methods for modernizing applications and leveraging investments in RPG. PHP is one of the most popular, and it is a multi-platform option. The online session listings can be found here. It includes sessions on setting up the Power Systems environment, Rational development tools as well as tools from IBM i independent software vendors, basic and advanced training in PHP and MySQL, security management, and Web application strategies. COMMON certification testing in RPG and business computing will also be available.

The third thing you need to know is this event is scheduled for February 12 and 13 in sunny and warm Tampa, Florida.

In a telephone conversation with COMMON president Randy Dufault last week, Dufault described this conference as a set of interrelated topics that appeals to those with specific needs. It is designed to be a smaller event (200 attendees would be considered very successful) spread over two days and available at a lower cost for registration and lodging than the larger COMMON conferences in the spring and fall.

COMMON members can register for $550 if they stay in the designated conference hotel and register by January 21. Registration prices for non-members and for those staying at a non-conference hotel vary, but early registration discounts apply. The overnight rate at the conference hotel is $150.

As the first of what Dufault hopes will be a series of focused education events, the Application Modernization Conference will set the tone for what comes after.

The decision to plan and organize this event sprouted from the Common Education Committee, which made the choices for the main topic and the individual sessions. After this event, the committee will consider other topics for future focused conferences. Topics under consideration are security, cloud computing, AIX, and systems management.

“If we get a couple hundred folks, that will be very successful for us,” Dufault says. “We won’t need that many to ensure the continuation of the series.”

Although virtual conferences and webinars have become very popular, Dufault favors people in classrooms with face-to-face interaction with speakers and their peers.

“I still think it is difficult in virtual learning to deliver the educational experience of instructor-led sessions and labs,” Dufault says.

If you’d like to try out virtual learning, COMMON’s first virtual conference takes place Tuesday, January 8. It is free to attend and registration is open until the day of the event. For more on both events, see Upcoming COMMON Conferences at this webpagewebpage.