Dan Burger
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ARCAD Integrates Source Code Management in RTC
May 20, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreIBM Rational Team Concert, the collaborative change management software, has added an IBM i component to its capabilities that should gain the attention of IBM i shops that previously were displeased with how the IBM i development environment was not treated equally within RTC. The change comes in the form of integration with ARCAD Skipper software, which brings source code management under the RTC umbrella.
“Except for some very large IBM i customers, the IBM i customer base has not embraced Rational Team Concert (RTC),” says ARCAD CEO Philippe Magne. “That was because IBM i source code management was not
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‘Power First’ As IBM Exits X86 Servers
May 19, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreWith IBM in the process of selling its X86 server business, any internal anguish caused by trashing X86 servers is removed, so the Power Systems promoters are firing away. The introduction of Power8 servers launched the volleys and, as the Power8 lineup continues to be revealed, the comparison bombing will likely intensify. Alex Gogh, vice president of server solutions within the Systems & Technology Group, talked about the “Power First” mentality in an interview with IT Jungle.
“We have committed to a Power-first mentality in the IBM software stack,” Gogh says. “This means when we release software we will
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IBM i: It’ll Shine When It Shines
May 19, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreWhen you think back about the Technology Refresh program IBM implemented with the introduction of IBM i 7.1, the incremental refreshes included enhancements that would have created fireworks if they were saved for the next major release of the operating system, which was just announced three weeks ago. Cloud computing, virtualization, and RPG features were all notable additions. Of all those, the free format RPG functionality arguably received the loudest cheers. Is anyone cheering 7.2?
Last week, I hope you saw the question and answer session with Alison Butterill and Steve Will that appeared in IT Jungle. If
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App Dev Team Sees Innovation Rewarded
May 19, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreIn spite of doubt and being far short of knowing all the answers, innovators are motivated to seek improvements. They have the ability to move forward despite obstacles and figure out the unexpected things that threaten to derail ideas, plans, and implementations.
The spotlight doesn’t shine brightly on innovation in business computing. Good work, however, does get recognized. The annual Innovation Award co-sponsored by IBM and COMMON accomplishes this without a great deal of fanfare, but that does not diminish the importance.
The 2014 Innovation Award winner is International Copyright Enterprise, better known as ICE Services. The application development team,
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Companies Capitalize on Talent at OCEAN Tech Conference
May 19, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreWhat’s on your top 10 business and IT priorities list this year? Increasing growth, reducing costs, improving applications and infrastructure, improving efficiency, and implementing mobile computing with increased analytic capabilities are projects that a lot of IBM midrange shops are talking about.
Any and all of those priority projects comes with a lot of questions attached. Let’s start with where do you turn to for help getting these projects planned, coordinated, and completed? You can go outside the company to people who are marketed as experts in particular technologies and products. But those people know little or nothing about your
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As The World Turns: Investments In IBM i
May 12, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreIt’s been four years since the introduction of IBM i 7.1. In between 7.1 and 7.2, which was put out on May 2, there were eight Technology Releases pegged to 7.1. Those releases were the indicators that IBM was still investing in the IBM i platform. It was a new strategy for Big Blue. How did it affect IBM and the IBM i community? That’s a good question.
At the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Florida last week, Steve Will, chief architect for IBM i, and Alison Butterill, IBM i product offering manager, described the 7.1 to 7.2
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IBM Announcements Buzz At COMMON Annual Meeting
May 12, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreThe timing of the COMMON Annual Meeting–one week after IBM made Power8 and IBM i 7.2 announcements–provided equal parts of inspiration and jubilation. Those IBM announcements contributed a noticeable buzz that carried throughout the educational sessions and the exposition hall. There was also the venue–a right-sized hotel and conference center–that contributed to the feeling that COMMON was the showcase event and avoided the lost in the crowd feeling that an oversized setting creates.
So much of our lives–at work and at home–are lived online these days it’s difficult to overstate the importance of getting together at a conference and participating
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Familiarity Breeds Strategy As COMMON Board Members Take Their Seats
May 12, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreThe COMMON board of directors was reshuffled last week after the annual election process that concludes at the Annual Meeting. There isn’t exactly a long line of people volunteering for positions on the board and, therefore, the names are familiar to those who consider themselves active in the IBM midrange community.
The board now consists of Pete Massiello, Randy Dufault, Kevin Mort, Jeff Carey, Justin Porter, Phil McCullough, and Larry Bolhuis. Massiello takes the role of president this year, Mort is executive vice president, Carey is treasurer, and Porter is secretary.
Dufault becomes the immediate past president, a role that
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LANSA’s View Of Mobile Reality
May 12, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreDefining the current mobile computing reality is a bit like nailing jelly to a tree. Challenges are being handled though, and IBM midrange shops are accomplishing projects that surprise the disbelievers. There is a mobile computing reality. It may be different than yours, but that doesn’t mean it does not exist or that it can’t become your reality, too.
“Our biggest challenge is building the awareness of what can be done with an IBM i,” says Steve Gapp. “We’ve done four or five really big mobile projects where the solution requirements are broad and deep. Mobile is far easier for
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Looksoftware Introduces Open Access to COBOL Development
May 6, 2014 Dan Burger
… Read moreTime reveals all secrets. RPG Open Access is a good example. It didn’t take long for COBOL developers to hear about RPG OA and soon they began asking for an Open Access of their own. So this week, looksoftware, one of the early pioneers in RPG OA, is adding Open Access for COBOL to its product line, which has had a singular RPG orientation up to this point. What’s good for RPG is good for COBOL. Makes sense.
Open Access for COBOL was something IBM talked about as a potential project, says looksoftware product manager Eamon Musallam. “The level