• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • IBM i Open Sourcerers

    July 11, 2016 Dan Burger

    Who will inherit the IBM i? And what will that business computer look like? My crystal ball is in the shop, so I’ll have to rely on what is currently going on and make some projections based on that. Collaboration would seem to be the key. Even without my crystal ball, I see new technologies being explored and applied. For IBM i to be relevant to future generations, open source software and the collaboration with other innovation teams needs to take place.

    Development of the IBM i platform is not happening on its own island anymore. It’s an integrated world.

    Open source will have a major impact in the future of business computing and what we see happening with IBM i support for Ruby, node.js, Python, and PHP is a preparation for the future, Give IBM credit for realizing the future of the platform requires that multiple open source programming models be supported. At the operating system level, we are seeing collections of open source applications bundled into core groups that form open source business solutions. Those solutions will include IBM i, which is a whole heck of a lot better than IBM i standing pat on the same programming technologies that it has supported for years.

    Figuring out the technology integrations was a critical decision for the technical people at IBM. Removing the barriers that prevent easy access to IBM i has been be a greater challenge for Big Blue. Without easy access, people are disinclined to involve IBM i in their creative collaborations. So the fact that i is technically capable doesn’t matter.

    Easy access to IBM i is what Litmis Spaces was designed to provide. The access is not only simple, it’s free. And what you are accessing are preconfigured, turn-key IBM i open source environments in the cloud.

    “We’ve been using Litmis Spaces for labs at all of the 2016 spring conferences and the response has been positive,” says Aaron Bartell, director of innovation at Krengeltech, the company that is not just hosting Litmis Spaces, but is building and supporting frameworks for disseminating knowledge and empowering a community. “We use browser-based development tools so there’s nothing to install on your laptop. You can literally be coding with open source languages (Node.js, Ruby, or Python, with PHP soon to be added) on IBM i in under a minute.”

    The free offer allows users to access one Litmis Space on Krengeltech’s multi-tenant server. It’s basically a place to play and learn. When more space is needed, it can be purchased online with a credit card. The charges are determined on a pay-for-what-you-use basis.

    David Dressler, a software engineer with skills in PHP, Zend Framework, and IBM i, has provided feedback to Bartell on his experiences compiling PHP7, venturing into areas such as bringing additional open source libraries from perzl.org, and working through “make” and “configure” files.

    Dressler is a subject matter expert on the IBMi using PHP and SQL to develop modern applications on Power Systems. He’s contributed to the open source community by adding security to the PHP IBMi toolkit. He blogs on topics related to IBM i and PHP at davedressler.com.

    Other changes at Litmis Spaces that came from feedback include switching from Google Chrome’s Secure Shell client to an in-house built browser-based ssh client that didn’t require as much setup and work on a Litmis Space that is geared toward doing serious GCC compiling of open source.

    To sign up for a piece of Litmis Space (with access to the Node.js and RubyOnRails study labs), email: team@litmis.com

    As you noodle this open source idea in your mind, take into account that Litmis Spaces was the runner up in the 2016 COMMON-IBM Innovation Award competition. At the very least, that’s an indicator that it’s been judged by a jury of your peers and they’ve found it to be quite good.

    The IBM i open source community is taking shape, too. A group called IBM i OSS is approaching 400 members as of last week, according to the group’s lead evangelist Bill Gravelle.

    “We’re connecting and starting to gather momentum here, so now it’s time for the next step in our evolution,” Gravelle posted on the group’s LinkedIn page. “In the past few days some of us have been experimenting with a new collaboration/communication platform–molding it into more of a hub that aggregates information from many channels instead of forcing members to go ‘cavorting around the web,’ as someone described it. I believe it may enable a more integrated, sustainable foundation to improve the global participation necessary to propel us forward together in our OSS on IBM i journey.”

    Gravelle described the community as “business-delivery focused,” with value for all levels of expertise beginning with novice. A survey, available on the LinkedIn site, is designed to collect information on the specific needs of individuals and the organizations where they are employed.

    There are multiple sources of IBM i open source information taking root.

    Bartell created a Wiki page that aggregates the websites, repos, collaboration efforts, events and other open source on IBM i resources. You can find it at: http://bit.ly/ibmioss. Like all wikis, it is meant to be a public resource and is designed so anyone can add, subtract or edit content for the express benefit of the community.

    David Gibbs, owner and operator of the midrange.com mailing list and forum, has a new mailing list called opensource@midrange.com.

    Open source advocate Pete Helgren, a member of the COMMON Board of Directors, is working with that organization to provide an information hub at www.common.org/open-source.

    COMMON is also organizing and presenting an open source conference August 24 and 25 in Chicago with a focus on Ruby, Node.js, Python, Git, and IFS containers. Bartell, Helgren, and IBM’s Kevin Adler will be handling the instruction.

    RELATED STORIES

    A Peek At Upcoming Open Source Enhancements In IBM i

    Free Form RPG Scores IBM i Innovation Award

    First Open Source Conference For IBM i Shops Planned

    GCC: Bringing More Open Source Software to IBM i

    IBM i Strategist Sets Priorities, Balances Resources

    IBM i Multiple Language Support Generates Value Decisions

    PHP Changes IBM i Shops, And They Change The PHP Community

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    Rocket Software

    Meet digital age demands while maximizing your IT investment.

    Future-proof your mission-critical applications with Rocket® Solutions for IBM® i that keep your business ahead of the curve.

    Learn More

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    System i Developer:  RPG & DB2 Summit - October 4-6 2016 in Chicago. Register now!
    COMMON:  Open Source and Systems Management at the COMMON Forum. August 24-25 in Chicago.
    OCEAN:  3 days of inspiration! 2016 IBM i Technical Conference, July 21-23, Costa Mesa, California

    Flynet Pivots To Catch IBM i Web Business In U.S. A Generic Character Editing Routine

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 26, Number 30 -- July 11, 2016
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

Profound Logic Software
New Generation Software
Linoma Software
Manta Technologies
WorksRight Software

Table of Contents

  • What Price Power (Eight And Maybe Nine)?
  • IBM i Skills Shortage A Barrier To Digital Transformation
  • IBM i Open Sourcerers
  • Cloud-Based Email Migrations Keep IBM i Vendor Busy
  • Maxava Opens Up Bidding For iFoundation Grants

Content archive

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

Recent Posts

  • POWERUp 2025 –Your Source For IBM i 7.6 Information
  • Maxava Consulting Services Does More Than HA/DR Project Management – A Lot More
  • Guru: Creating An SQL Stored Procedure That Returns A Result Set
  • As I See It: At Any Cost
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 19
  • IBM Unveils Manzan, A New Open Source Event Monitor For IBM i
  • Say Goodbye To Downtime: Update Your Database Without Taking Your Business Offline
  • i-Rays Brings Observability To IBM i Performance Problems
  • Another Non-TR “Technology Refresh” Happens With IBM i TR6
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 18

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