• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • IBM i Modernization Gets a Newlook Accelerator

    December 14, 2016 Dan Burger

    Legacy applications tend to outlive the predictions of their imminent demise. The trouble they cause can be costly, though, as maintenance and vanishing skills for out-of-date programming languages are problems. Modernizing applications remains a priority in many IBM midrange shops, where reuse of existing IBM i 5250 screens and RPG (and COBOL) code is being closely examined. Tools like Accelerator from Surround Technologies and Newlook from Looksoftware are getting attention, too.

    The latest collaboration from these two software vendors results in the generation of an IBM i-based user interface that’s accessible from any desktop or mobile device with a browser. Naturally, having a single development process for desktop and mobile sounds good to a lot of people. Accomplishing that development process with a bare minimum of coding sounds even better. So, what we have here are applications that were once locked into a green screen on a proprietary system are now capable of running on Web and mobile devices that run on Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome Books, iPhones, and Android.

    As modernization has become more complex–going from basic screen-scraping of green-screen applications to projects that include more conveniences, greater functionality, composite applications, and multiple devices and screen sizes–it has become a bigger challenge to keep things simple for developers faced with multi-interface development.

    Most people choose simple over complex, so a quick and easy green-screen conversion to a graphical user interface is often the first step. Conversion to .NET is one alternative. Both Looksoftware and Surround Technologies have products for this purpose. The two companies combined efforts on Looksoftware’s Renew product in the past, though it was limited to producing only Windows applications. The Windows capabilities remain, but the potential for so much more with Web and mobile capabilities is a big step forward.

    The integration of Accelerator with Looksoftware’s core development IDE called Newlook has added a software generation capability to Looksoftware’s portfolio. Together they offer the capability to architect a new application using legacy RPG or COBOL code. This is where the heavy lifting is done in modernization projects. It goes beyond screen scraping–which remains tied to multiple-screen navigation to access data–to rearchitecting software and getting the value from the business logic.

    “If your underlying legacy system is providing the majority of what’s needed–the core functionality works–then this integration of Newlook and Accelerator is a great solution. If the underlying legacy system is not cutting it anymore and it needs to be vastly changed to meet business needs, then maybe Accelerator is an option,” says Lee Paul, CEO of Surround Technologies. “The majority of companies are successful with their underlying legacy system. They just want to make it easier to use with better integration and a strong path forward and without adding to their technical debt.”

    The integration of Newlook and Accelerator–made possible through Newlook APIs–leverages Web development technology such as HTML5, CSS3 and JQuery, which provide modern navigation, search, and browsing capability.

    The Accelerator Server provides the core architecture and frameworks for generating custom-coded software and exposes services to applications where and when needed. It also provides system-, application- and module-level information used by the presentation layer to deliver the user experience. It can be configured for system navigation and user options. Accelerator is .NET based and the source code is completely accessible.

    The speed and ease with which screens can be modernized is a huge selling point for all the modernization products from a variety of vendors. And for those who haven’t seen the capabilities, it is really an eye-opener. However, the entire process of rearchitecting applications is not as easy as flipping a switch.

    “We are producing a runnable, executable, usable application in minutes,” Paul says. “But in some cases, it will take hours and even days to do more with it. We let people know that if they want to show a modernized app to upper management, it can be done in on IBM i in minutes. Yes, there is additional work that pertains to business rules. That’s where Newlook comes in. But still, there is very little code that needs to be written.”

    looksoftware is a division of Fresche. It was acquired in September 2014.

    RELATED STORIES

    Fresche Makes Bold Move In IBM i Modernization Arena

    Fresche Brings the Heat(map) to Legacy Modernization

    Modernization Projects On The Rise, Says Fresche Legacy

    Surround Tech Goes Up The Stack

    Fresche Legacy Advances App Dev Integration Plan

    IBM i Modernization Gets A Fresche-look

    Surround Tech Revs Windows-Based Dev Tool for IBM i

    New Design Tool Available from looksoftware

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    PERFSCAN

    Revolutionary Performance Management Software

    At Greymine, we recognize there is a void in the IT world for a dedicated performance management company and also for a performance management tool that’s modern, easy to use, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. That’s why we created PERFSCAN.

    PERFSCAN is designed to make your job easier. With revolutionary technology, an easy-to-read report and graphics engine, and real time monitoring, tasks that used to take days can now take minutes. This means you will know your system better and will be able to provide better service to your customers.

    OUR FEATURES

    PERFSCAN is full of robust features that don’t require you to take a three-day class in order to use the product effectively.

    Customizable Performance Reporting

    Whether you are troubleshooting a major system problem or simply creating a monthly report, PERFSCAN lets you select any combination of desired performance metrics (CPU, Disk, and Memory).

    User Defined Performance Guidelines

    No matter if you are a managed service provider managing complex systems in the cloud or a customer analyzing your on-premises solution, PERFSCAN gives you the flexibility to define all mission critical guidelines how they need to be.

    Understanding The Impact Of Change

    Tired of all the finger pointing when performance is suffering? PERFSCAN’s innovative What’s Changed and Period vs. Period analysis creates a culture of proof by correlating known environmental changes with system performance metrics.

    Comprehensive Executive Summary

    Creating performance graphs is easy. Understanding what they mean is another thing. With one mouse click, PERFSCAN includes an easy-to-understand executive summary for each core metric analyzed.

    Combined Real-Time Monitor And Performance Analysis Tool

    With PERFSCAN’s combined built in enterprise real-time monitor and historical performance analysis capability, you will always know how your mission-critical systems are performing.

    Cloud Performance Reporting Is Easy

    Managing performance for production systems in the cloud can be a black hole to many system administrators. The good news is PERFSCAN analyzes all core metrics regardless of the location. That’s why MSPs and customers love PERFSCAN.

    Detailed Job Analysis

    PERFSCAN shows detailed top job analysis for any desired period. All metrics are displayed in two ways: Traditional Report and Percentage Breakdown Pie Chart. This toggle capability instantly shows the jobs using the most system resources.

    Save Report Capability

    Your boss lost the report you gave to him on Friday. Now what do you do? With PERFSCAN’s save report capability, any report can be retrieved in a matter of seconds.

    Professional PDF Reporting With Branding

    Creating professional looking reports for your customers has never been easier with PERFSCAN. Branding for our partners and service provider customers is easy with PERFSCAN.

    Check it out at perfscan.com

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    Profound Logic Software:  NOW ON DEMAND! Webinar: Agile Modernization with Node.js.
    Fresche:  IBM i staffing for all of your IT needs. Request a FREE estimate. 1-800-361-6782
    System i Developer:  RPG & DB2 Summit - March 21-23, 2017 in Orlando. Register now!

    How Do You Do That with RDi? Part 2: Compile IBM i Open Source Business Architect Lays Out A Plan

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 26, Number 56 -- December 14, 2016
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

UCG Technologies
IT Solutions Group
System i Developer
Fresche
T.L. Ashford

Table of Contents

  • The IBM i Year In Review
  • IBM i Modernization Gets a Newlook Accelerator
  • Rocket Adds IBM i Support to Backup Reporting Tool
  • Mad Dog 21/21: Ginni And The Jinns
  • Happy Holidays And Big Changes Ahead For IT Jungle In 2017

Content archive

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

Recent Posts

  • Power10 Boosts NVM-Express Flash Performance
  • Fortra Completes Postmortem Of GoAnywhere Vulnerability
  • Guru: Binding Directory Entries
  • How Does Your Infrastructure Spending Stack Up To The World?
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 22
  • Fortra Issues 20th State of IBM i Security Report
  • FNTS Launches Managed Services for Power Servers in IBM Cloud
  • Total LTO Shipped Capacity Up Slightly in 2022
  • Four Hundred Monitor, May 24
  • Update On Critical Security Vulnerability In PowerVM

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 © 2023 IT Jungle