Four Hundred Monitor, April 19
April 19, 2017 Dan Burger
As an IBM i programmer or manager of programmers, how do you instill the mindset of be better today than you were yesterday and be better tomorrow than you are today? It’s not rocket science or brainwashing. See today’s Monitor for how it’s done.
Last week, IT Jungle published a story titled Blockchain: A Link in Your Long Term IBM i Plan. This week, it’s Technology Review writing about blockchain and a conference called the Business of Blockchain. Setting aside the over-inflated expectations and the white hot hype that we’ve come to expect with the next big thing, blockchain has serious R&D investments fueling its surge.
Top Stories From Outside The Jungle
(IBM Systems Magazine) Writing better code may not be something your mother told you about along with “eat your vegetables, they’re good for you” and “don’t sit too close to the TV, you’ll go blind,” but writing better code is equally rewarding. Here’s what you can do.
(MIT Technology Review) Blockchain technology may be poised to inspire solutions to key societal challenges, from trading carbon emissions to maintaining healthcare records. But only if the companies and developers involved can agree on things.
(ZDNet) DevOps is much more than a set of practices for smarter software development. The benefits of Agile-type thinking–such as iterative development and continuous delivery–are being pushed beyond the IT department and out into the wider business. Will IBM i shops follow the plan of adopting small, quick changes that deliver new benefits to businesses and their customers?
(CIO) IBM’s Watson has stirred legitimate concerns around AI and how it will impact the job market. But some say the real impact will depend on how businesses leverage and implement AI tools to support employees, rather than replace them.
Redbooks, White Papers, and Other Resources
(Adsero Optima) The lack of application agility is the biggest factor limiting the growth and acceptance of IBM i, according to this white paper. Although the green-screen user interface and the RPG-written applications are often blamed, it’s the slow adoption of SQL capabilities in the DB2 for IBM i database and data centric design paradigms that hinders IBM i.
(IBM) The IBM i announcements for the 7.2 and 7.3 TRs don’t mention the three upcoming RPG enhancements that will be available through PTFs at the same time as the TRs. The PTFs will be available individually, and they will also be part of the upcoming 7.2 and 7.3 DB2 group PTFs.
(COMMON) During this 40-minute recording, Scott Forstie explains the new and enhanced DB2 for i features being delivered on March 31, 2017, to IBM i 7.2 and IBM i 7.3.
(Vision Solutions) “Power Talk” is a podcast series dedicated to insights and discussion surrounding IBM Power Systems. Archived sessions include remote journaling expert Larry Youngren, high availability strategist Ron Peterson, and “Father of the IBM i” Frank Soltis.
Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings
April 26 — Westbury, New York – The Long Island Systems Users Group monthly meeting will include two presentations by IBM i security expert Robin Tatam. At 5 p.m., Tatam will discuss the integrated file system (IFS) security. At 7 p.m., he will discuss overall system security. In between the PHP sessions is time for networking, cocktails, and dinner. LISUG meetings are held at the Westbury Manor located at 1100 Jericho Turnpike.
May 2 & 3 — Markham, Ontario, Canada – The Toronto User Group’s annual technical education conference, TEC 2017, features IBM i-centric subjects that include: RPG application development, Web and mobile development, application modernization, accessing and optimizing DB2 data, performance management, and system management. The conference will take place at the SAVOY Conference Centre (Monte Carlo Inn) located at 7255 Warden Avenue in Markham. Early registration discounts are available.
May 7-10 — Orlando, Florida – The 2017 COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition is the largest IBM i educational event of the year. It includes more than 300 sessions related to IBM i, as well as AIX and Linux. Open source, high availability, security, DB2, and application development are a few of the popular skill-building topics. The agenda includes all-day pre-conference workshops, open labs, and a wide variety of lecture-type sessions presented by subject matter experts. An early registration discount ($1,595 for members; $1,895 for non-members) is available through December 30.
May 22-26 — Orlando, Florida – IBM Systems Technical University is a training and skills event featuring Power Systems, z Systems, and storage. Sessions are tailored for executives, business managers, data center managers, tech support managers, project managers, systems and application programmers, IT architects, and systems and database admins. Thirty-nine IBM i-specific session are on the agenda.
