• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Unicom Adds HP3000 Biz with Cognos ADT Buy

    January 21, 2014 Alex Woodie

    On the last day of 2013, Unicom Systems announced that it acquired the Cognos Application Development Tools (ADT) from IBM. The ADT suit, including the PowerHouse 4GL tools, were used extensively in the HP3000 and VMS worlds, and although the tools haven’t seen new features in years, Unicom sees the acquisition as strategic.

    The ADT suite is composed of the PowerHouse server, PowerHouse Web, and Axiant 4GL tools. PowerHouse is a byte-compiled 4GL originally produced by Cognos-predecessor Quasar Corp. in 1982. The 4GL used a centralized data dictionary approach to speed development of applications, and found success against popular 3GL languages of the day, such as COBOL and PL/1.

    Cognos originally targeted the Hewlett-Packard HP3000 mini-computer and its underlying database with the PowerHouse tools. Later, the tools were ported to run on other systems, including the IBM AS/400, DEC’s VAX, Data General’s Eclipse MV, and Unix. In 1995, Cognos launched Axiant, a port of the PowerHouse syntax to a Windows IDE. In 1999, it launched PowerHouse Web to generate Web interfaces. By the year 2000, PowerHouse sales were slowing as the business world moved to adopt X86 platforms.

    It’s unknown how many PowerHouse customers remain in the wild. PowerHouse tools are still used by customers all over the world, with the heaviest concentration in the healthcare and government markets, Unicom says.

    Cognos stopped development of the product just before it sold itself to IBM for $5 billion in late 2007. That was a source of concern to HP3000 and VMS shops that continue to use it, according to an article about the Unicom acquisition of PowerHouse in 3000NewsWire.

    “Customers in the 3000 community and those in the VMS world have been vocal about seeing little that’s new in the software. Cognos froze development on the 8.49G version of Powerhouse before selling itself to IBM in 2009,” the 3000NewsWire article states.

    For Unicom, the PowerHouse tools give it entry into companies that still run the old HP3000 server, which Hewlett-Packard killed a decade ago. The Mission Hills, California, company already has a collection of tools for other “legacy” platforms, like IBM i and System z mainframe.

    “We appreciate IBM’s trust in selling us the Cognos” ADT tools, stated Unicom CEO Corry Hong in a press release. “We will cooperate with IBM to ensure a smooth transition for customers.”

    In other PowerHouse news among IBM i software vendors, Fresche Legacy announced that Quebec-based Union des artistes (UDA) has selected it to help with an old financial system developed with PowerHouse.

    UDA brought Fresche Legacy in to assess the PowerHouse system, with an eye toward eventually replacing it. The application is critical to UDA, however, and replacing it will not be easy. In the meantime, Fresche Legacy will ensure the viability of the aging system until a suitable migration path can be chosen.



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    VISUAL LANSA 16 WEBINAR

    Trying to balance stability and agility in your IBM i environment?

    Join this webinar and explore Visual LANSA 16 – our enhanced professional low-code platform designed to help organizations running on IBM i evolve seamlessly for what’s next.

    🎙️VISUAL LANSA 16 WEBINAR

    Break Monolithic IBM i Applications and Unlock New Value

    Explore modernization without rewriting. Decouple monolithic applications and extend their value through integration with modern services, web frameworks, and cloud technologies.

    🗓️ July 10, 2025

    ⏰ 9 AM – 10 AM CDT (4 PM to 5 PM CEST)

    See the webinar schedule in your time zone

    Register to join the webinar now

    What to Expect

    • Get to know Visual LANSA 16, its core features, latest enhancements, and use cases
    • Understand how you can transition to a MACH-aligned architecture to enable faster innovation
    • Discover native REST APIs, WebView2 support, cloud-ready Azure licensing, and more to help transform and scale your IBM i applications

    Read more about V16 here.

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    ARCAD Software:  Webinar: Future-proof your IBM i applications. January 23
    System i Developer:  Upgrade your skills at the RPG & DB2 Summit in Dallas, March 18-20.
    Profound Logic Software:  Live Webinar: "See What i Can Do With Modern RPG Development." Feb 12

    More IT Jungle Resources:

    System i PTF Guide: Weekly PTF Updates
    IBM i Events Calendar: National Conferences, Local Events, and Webinars
    Breaking News: News Hot Off The Press
    TPM @ EnterpriseTech: High Performance Computing Industry News From ITJ EIC Timothy Prickett Morgan

    IBM Cuts Flash Copy Tags For Storwize V5000 What The System x Selloff Means To IBM i Shops

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 14, Number 2 -- January 21, 2014
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

Fresche Legacy
ARCAD Software
Profound Logic Software
Shield Advanced Solutions
RJS Software Systems

Table of Contents

  • Profound UI Handles Long-Name Aliases for RPG Coders
  • Attunity Buys Hayes for SAP Data Chops
  • IBM Buys Aspera for Big WAN Data Transfers
  • Got IBM i Innovation? Get Your Award Application in by Feb. 10
  • Unicom Adds HP3000 Biz with Cognos ADT Buy
  • ORSYP Monitors IBM Power VIOS with Sysload Tool
  • EXTOL Adds Automated FTP to EDI Translator
  • m-Power Takes IBM i Mobile Apps Offline
  • Raz-Lee Certifies IBM i Security Tools with McAfee
  • LaserVault Debuts New Backup Option for IBM i

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Liam Allan Shares What’s Coming Next With Code For IBM i
  • From Stable To Scalable: Visual LANSA 16 Powers IBM i Growth – Launching July 8
  • VS Code Will Be The Heart Of The Modern IBM i Platform
  • The AS/400: A 37-Year-Old Dog That Loves To Learn New Tricks
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 25
  • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
  • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
  • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
  • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle