• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact

Alex Woodie

Alex Woodie is Senior Editor at IT Jungle. He was previously editor of two of IT Jungle's main newsletters, Four Hundred Stuff and The Windows Observer. Prior to joining Midrange Server (as Guild Companies was formerly called) in October 2001, Alex was a products editor at now defunct publisher Midrange Computing, where he was first introduced to the AS/400 and covered hardware, software, and services for Midrange Technology SHOWCASE magazine. Before joining Midrange Computing, Alex was a staff writer for The Insurance Journal and a reporter and columnist with The Paradise Post newspaper. Woodie obtained his Bachelors of Arts degree in journalism from Humboldt State University in 1997. Upon graduation, Alex intended to make his way onto a major daily newspaper, but in 1999 he found himself drawn to the high-technology industry, where his background in science and engineering has suited him well. He lives in Northern San Diego County. When he is not writing next week's newsletters, Alex can be found in his favorite chair reading the day's paper, in the kitchen, or at the beach.

  • Evading the Big Blue Name Police

    June 8, 2022 Alex Woodie

    The name “Merlin” conjures up an image of a magical place where wizards cast spells against evil spirits and fairies fly through the air. In other words, the exact opposite of the button-down image of business computing that IBM tries its best to exude. That’s what makes the story of how the newest member of the IBM i product lineup got its name so unlikely.

    Twenty-two months ago, the folks at the IBM Rochester had an idea for a new product that would help to modernize development and operations processes on IBM i. In addition to Web-based IDE based on …

    Read more
  • Why Steve Will’s Promotions Are A Big Deal For IBM i

    June 6, 2022 Alex Woodie

    As chief architect for IBM i, Steve Will has long been the recognizable face of the IBM i development team in Rochester, Minnesota. Recently, he added two more titles to his cv, including IBM i CTO and distinguished engineer. While the labels are certainly good for Will and an acknowledgment of his hard work, they’re also good for IBM i and bode well for the future of the platform.

    A year after earning a master’s degree in computer science at Purdue University in 1984, Will joined IBM and immediately went to work on the IBM midrange line, first as a …

    Read more
  • More IBM i Merlin Details Emerge at POWERUp

    June 1, 2022 Alex Woodie

    We are getting a more complete picture of IBM i Merlin, the DevOps offering that IBM introduced last month with the launch of IBM i 7.5. Among the most interesting revelations at COMMON’s annual POWERUp conference last week is that Merlin will be a vehicle for delivering a range of functionality to the platform in the future, not necessarily limited to app dev.

    IBM i Modernization Engine for Lifecycle Integration, or Merlin, is a new offering from IBM. The software, as it exists in its first incarnation, enables users to develop IBM i application in ILE languages through an …

    Read more
  • LUG Looks to Grow Membership

    June 1, 2022 Alex Woodie

    If you work at a large IBM i shop and are interested in having more of a say in the direction of the platform, then you might be interested in joining the influential Large User Group (LUG). And as luck would have it, the group, which is meeting in Rochester next week for the first time in three years, has several openings in its rolls and is looking for new members.

    LUG got its start back in 1994, when IT executives from six big AS/400 shops got together at a COMMON conference and realized they had a common set of …

    Read more
  • POWERUp Brings IBM i Base Back Together in the Big Easy

    May 25, 2022 Alex Woodie

    After two years of lockdowns and Zoom calls, IBM i professionals were joyful to be face to face with fellow users this week at the POWERUp conference in New Orleans. The celebration lasted all week, and spilled over onto Bourbon Street at times, but that didn’t get in the way of the primary mission: Getting educated on IBM i. And with the latest enhancements, there was a lot to learn.

    For many POWERUp 2022 attendees and ISVs, COMMON’s annual conference is the first physical event they’ve attended since the pandemic started back in March 2020. With the easing of …

    Read more
  • New Nav for i Brings New Stuff to You

    May 25, 2022 Alex Woodie

    With the recent launch of IBM i 7.5, IBM added several compelling new features to “New Nav,” the new version of IBM Navigator for i that debuted less than a year ago. Among the goodies that all you IBM i admins out there will get are support for the audit journal, integration with Content Manager OnDemand for i, and updates to Performance Data Investigator, among other additions.

    IBM launched a remake of IBM Navigator for i with last September’s Technology Refresh for 7.3 and 7.4. The company rewrote Navigator from the ground up in Angular, a JavaScript framework for building …

    Read more
  • Why Infor’s IDF Is Important for Customer Innovation

    May 25, 2022 Alex Woodie

    Among the remaining large ERP vendors targeting IBM i, Infor appears to be the most committed to ongoing development on the platform. A key element of that strategy is the Infor Development Framework (IDF), which plays a big role in extending the functionality in its IBM i-based ERP systems to meet customers’ specific needs.

    The IDF features most prominently in Infor’s long-term strategy for the ERP XA (MAPICS), ERP LX (BPCS), and ERP System 21 product lines, says Robert Russel, the vice president of product development at Infor.

    “We’re starting to try to essentially get that technology embedded into …

    Read more
  • ERP Transitions Loom for SAP on IBM i Customers

    May 23, 2022 Alex Woodie

    Unless SAP changes its plans, the company will end mainstream support for its business software running on IBM i in five years, with an option for extended maintenance through 2030. The looming end of support for the decades-long partnership between the IBM i organization and the German software giant puts about 1,500 joint customers in the tough spot of deciding how to transition away from their current ERP platform. And one they have probably invested a lot of time, money, and effort into.

    SAP’s preferred destination for all of its ECC (ERP Central Component) and Business Suite customers – …

    Read more
  • COMMON Set for First Annual Conference in Three Years

    May 18, 2022 Alex Woodie

    Don’t look now, but COMMON is about to hold its first annual conference in three years. Starting on Monday in New Orleans, POWERUp 2022 will be the biggest gathering of the IBM i community since the pandemic started more than two years ago. There is still time to register for the conference, which will feature a raft of presentations on the newly released IBM i version 7.5.

    COMMON’s annual conference scheduled for the New Orleans Marriott next week is shaping up to be a good one. More than 100 speakers are scheduled to present more than 300 sessions on …

    Read more
  • What’s New in IBM i Services and Networking

    May 18, 2022 Alex Woodie

    As expected, IBM delivered a slew of new IBM i services with the delivery of IBM i 7.5 last week, giving IBM i professionals handle new methods for working with various components of the platform. The new releases of the operating system also brings a number of enhancements in the networking stack, which are notable for several reasons.

    The past several new releases and Technology Refreshes (TRs) have brought new IBM i services, which are SQL-based alternatives to traditional ways of accessing things on the platform like IBM i objects, system information, and other components. At this point, IBM has …

    Read more

Previous Articles Next Articles

Content archive

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

Recent Posts

  • To Comfort The Afflicted And Afflict The Comfortable
  • How FalconStor Is Reinventing Itself, And Why IBM Noticed
  • Guru: When Procedure Driven RPG Really Works
  • Vendors Fill In The Gaps With IBM’s New MFA Solution
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 27
  • With Power11, Power Systems “Go To Eleven”
  • With Subscription Price, IBM i P20 And P30 Tiers Get Bigger Bundles
  • Izzi Buys CNX, Eyes Valence Port To System Z
  • IBM i Shops “Attacking” Security Concerns, Study Shows
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 26

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