Four Hundred Monitor, August 22
August 22, 2018 Dan Burger
Power9 continues to grab headlines this week, inside and outside the Jungle, as the number crunchers continue to wonder if IBM’s latest release will result in continued good fortune (and good revenue reporting) for Big Blue. AI also stays on the hot topic list, bringing up some interesting (and maybe scary) theories for the future. But using data to your advantage can pay off big dividends and recruiters are starting to look for new ways to find the right talent for the job (think: Moneyball). Surprisingly COBOL popped up on our news radar this week with a refreshing look at the origin story of this beautiful language.
Top Stories From Outside The Jungle
(Forbes) Another look at the recently rolled out E950 and E980. Will they help IBM continue its recent growth in the systems business?
(Digital Trends) IBM is one year into its partnership with MIT for research in the field of artificial intelligence. The purpose is to explore what is possible without letting AI ruin us.
(Fast Company) Fans of the Houston Astros know that analytics can bring home World Series rings. But can those same theories used by the MLB be applied to recruiting talent in IT?
(DevOps.com) It wouldn’t take much to convince the hard core among us that COBOL is a beautiful language. But it is still nice to talk about.
(The Mary Sue) Have you heard of Grace Hopper? Thanks to a new movie in the works, you soon will understand her role in the world of IT that we know today. In addition to being an admiral in the Navy, Hopper is seen as a female IT pioneer and credited with the first software compiler and the language COBOL.
Redbooks, White Papers, and Other Resources
(OpenLegacy) A veterinary cooperative partnered extends its AS/400 system to iPad Mini tablets to provide real time access while in the field visiting their patients. Check out this case study to read they did it.
(Proximity) Ensuring track and trace capability is built into your manufacturing operations will give you the ability to practice continuous improvement with accurate product and process data. IQMS’ whitepaper outlines some best technology practices for tracking, tracing and reporting on manufacturing production.
(MuleSoft) How does your company stack up when it comes to digital transformation? A new report shows that 80 percent of a surveyed 650 companies who said they are working on digital transformation will lose revenue if the project isn’t completed in the next 12 months. Download the Connectivity Benchmark Report 2018 to find out the top digital trends, the biggest challenges, and the one strategy companies use to develop applications and projects more efficiently
(IBM i Competence) How confident are you in your IBM i competence? Take the test and certify your skills with COMMON.
(IBM) This free e-book covers everything you need to know about what blockchain is, how it works, and how you can get started building a blockchain network today.
Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings
August 23 – Webinar –If you care about performance, Zend Server and PHP 7 are a match made in heaven. In this webinar in a series of PHP expert talks, Zeev Suraski explains the capabilities available in Zend Server that help optimize your applications and boost their performance.
August 26-30 – Las Vegas, Nevada – VMworld 2018 US is five days of innovation to accelerate the journey to a software-defined business — from mobile devices to the data center and the cloud.
August 30 – Webinar – In this free session from COMMON members from HelpSystems, IBM i security expert Robin Tatam will explain exit point security and why this little-understood topic is so important to IBM i organizations.
September 13 – St. Louis, Missouri – IT Jungle’s own Four Hundred Guru Ted Holt will be talking about 21st Century CL and/or SQL PL at the regular monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. Jim Buck will be the guest speaker. The meeting begins with lunch at noon and the presentation following lunch. The meeting location is Spazio’s restaurant at 12031 Lackland Road. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date.
September 18 – Webinar – In part one of three free sessions on IBM i modernization for COMMON members from ARCAD Software, speakers Floyd Del Muro and Ray Bernardi take a look at the available modernization choices. What is best for you: DIY or “as a Service”?
September 20 – Webinar – PHP is the top platform for building and modernizing IBM i applications. In this webinar in a series of PHP expert talks, Massimiliano Cavicchioli discusses how to build applications on i using Zend Expressive, Zend Server, the IBM i Toolkit, and DB2.
September 25 – Webinar – In part one of three free sessions on IBM i modernization for COMMON members from ARCAD Software, speakers Floyd Del Muro and Ray Bernardi discuss laying a secure foundation with a structured DevOps process.
September 27 – Webinar – In part one of three free sessions on IBM i modernization for COMMON members from ARCAD Software, speakers Floyd Del Muro and Ray Bernardi delve into ways to automating the conversion from RPGLE or CA 2E (Synon) to Free Form RPG and DDL/SQL.
October 2-4 – Chicago, Illinois – System i Developer heads to Chicago with its bi-annual RPG & DB2 Summit. This highly interactive conference focuses on the top skills that forward-thinking RPGers need for their daily work with practical knowledge that you can apply as soon as you return to the office.
October 11 – St. Louis, Missouri – Using SQL and cursors in your programs is the feature presentation at the regular monthly meeting of the Gateway/400 Group, a System i user group serving the greater St. Louis area. Jim Buck will be the guest speaker. The meeting begins with lunch at noon and the presentation following lunch. The meeting location is Spazio’s restaurant at 12031 Lackland Road. RSVP no later than Monday before the meeting date.
October 15-17 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – COMMON’s Fall conference and expo promises two days of IBM i skill building.
November 6-8 – St. Louis, Missouri – The Profound Logic User Seminar (PLUS) is three days of product focused learning with workshops, labs, and educations sessions.
