• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Profound Nabs Patent for Browser-Based Development Tool

    April 1, 2014 Alex Woodie

    A round of applause is in order for the good folks of Dayton, Ohio–not for the University of Dayton’s impressive run in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, although they do deserve a nod. No, the midrange server community should be impressed with the patent that was recently issued to the Dayton-based application modernization software company Profound Logic for the innovative way it built an IBM i development tool that runs in a Web browser.

    Development tools are normally thought of as being too memory intensive or bulky to fit within the relatively narrow confines of a Web browser. The amount of data that’s required to be manipulated and the highly interactive nature of a development session normally mandates the use of a full PC-based desktop program instead. When it was absolutely necessary to have this capability in a Web browser, compromises were made with the visual interface. For similar reasons, applications like word processing, spreadsheets, database administration, photo editing, and computer aided design (CAD) have typically been delivered as full PC-based desktop programs.

    But Profound CEO Alex Roytman and the other smart folks at Profound wouldn’t take no for an answer. They pressed ahead and figured out a way to drive the application development paradigm into a Web browser. The company delivered such capability with Genie, its on-the-fly Web enablement solutions for IBM i 5250 screens.

    On March 4, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Roytman and company patent number 8,667,405 B2, for “Browser-based development tools and methods for developing the same.” The patent covers the Web-based Visual Designer tool that Profound includes in its Genie and Profound UI products.

    According to the USPTO entry, text of patent 8,667.405 B2 reads: “The interface can enable users to manage massive amounts of data in one browser view, with capabilities to search, sort, graph, and edit data. In addition, the interface can allow users to design browser applications or browser application components, such as data listings and data forms. Currently, no other software or tools exist that allow computer users to manage massive amounts of data in one view within a browser interface. Furthermore, no other tools exist that allow developers or end-users to interactively manipulate the interface presented to them in a browser, and then export or publish it for use in a browser application.”

    The Visual Designer tool is unique in that it allows users to customize the look and feel of the screens directly from within those very screens. That’s an important distinction from using desktop tools, because it’s often difficult to do the little things, such as aligning buttons and borders, within a desktop environment. It seems a simple matter to say that it’s more efficient to develop or customize a Web-based application directly within that Web-based application. But there were technical hurdles to overcome. Profound overcame them, and has the patent to prove it.

    “We first conceived this technology because we wanted to come up with an easy way for RPG developers to design Web interfaces for IBM i applications,” Roytman says in a press release. “We came up with an idea to put the development tools in the browser. The benefits of this development environment include the ability to see exactly what the application will look like once it is rendered in a browser, as well as ease of deployment.”

    If you haven’t noticed, Profound has been doing lots of good work in the IBM i application modernization space, and it’s been doing it for years. It was the first to deliver an IBM RPG Open Access handler, and continues to build a rich collection of tools around its Profound UI suite, including its own open source JavaScript library, advanced multi-language support, and support for long-name field aliases. Congratulations on the patent.

    RELATED STORIES

    Profound UI Handles Long-Name Aliases for RPG Coders

    Profound UI’s Rich New Language Options

    Profound Reveals Native Mobile App Option

    Profound Framework Moves to Open Source



                         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
    iTech Solutions

    Choose Your Own IBM i OS Upgrade Adventure

    Choice 1:

    • Plan for 3 months
    • Check hardware & software compatibility
    • Check Lan Console, MQ, Domino, SMB, Ciphers, WebSphere, Java
    • Test, test, and test again
    • Prepare for potential downtime
    • Hope the OS Upgrade goes smoothly
     

    Choice 2:

    • Strategically plan alongside a team of IBM i experts
    • Work with experienced system admins to ensure hardware & software compatibility
    • Receive full analysis of Lan Console, MQ, Domino, SMB, Ciphers, WebSphere, Java
    • Know which PTFs are required for the upgrade
    • Relax, and let iTech handle the rest

    Not every OS Upgrade has to be an adventure. We make the process easy for you.

    Having completed thousands of upgrades, we have the experience, know-how, and expertise to get the job done seamlessly. We know what can go wrong, what to plan for, and can act quickly if problems arise.

    No matter where you are in your journey, we’re here to help. Take a look at the video below to ensure you’re on the right path when it comes to your next IBM i OS Upgrade.

    [Video] What You Need to Know to Successfully Upgrade to IBM i 7.4 and 7.5

    An IBM i OS upgrade isn’t complete until all the boxes are checked. Is your list up to date?

    In this video, Pete Massiello covers what’s new on IBM i 7.5, planning tips, pre-requisites, and post-installation requirements for a successful OS Upgrade.

    [ Watch Now ]

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    BCD:  IBM i Webinar April 10: How Automating Spool File Distribution Reduces Costs
    LANSA:  Webinar: Preserving your IBM i investment. April 10, 12 pm CT/1 pm ET
    Maxava:  Live Webinar: 11 Steps to Comprehensive DR Planning for IBM i. April 3

    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

    Deal For Windows Server 2012 On System x Expires Today Embedded SQL Exception/Error Handling

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 14, Number 7 -- April 1, 2014
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

ProData Computer Services
PowerTech
Profound Logic Software
COMMON
Maxava

Table of Contents

  • Linoma Delivers MFT Client for Android and iOS
  • Townsend Taps Tieto to Resell IBM i Security Tools
  • Fresche Legacy Automates DDS to DDL Conversions
  • Actifio Nabs $100M to Fight Copy Data
  • Vanguard IMS-21: Now with More Metadata
  • Rocket Nabs Trubiquity for MFT
  • Infor’s CloudSuite for AWS: What it Means to IBM i Customers
  • Filipino Retailer Widens JDA MMS Investment
  • Profound Nabs Patent for Browser-Based Development Tool
  • Two More Customer Wins for Vault400

Content archive

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

Recent Posts

  • IBM i 7.3 TR12: The Non-TR Tech Refresh
  • IBM i Integration Elevates Operational Query and Analytics
  • Simplified IBM i Stack Bundling Ahead Of Subscription Pricing
  • More Price Hikes From IBM, Now For High End Storage
  • Big Blue Readies Power10 And IBM i 7.5 Training for Partners
  • IBM Delivers More Out-of-the-Box Security with IBM i 7.5
  • Groundhog Day For Malware
  • IBM i Community Reacts to IBM i 7.5
  • Four Hundred Monitor, May 11
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 24, Number 19

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 © 2022 IT Jungle

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.