• Guru: Getting Started With The Code 4 i Extension Within VS Code

  January 22, 2024 Gregory Simmons

  The Code for IBM i extension is growing in popularity and has certainly become my favorite source code editor. This article is not an attempt to convince you to drop RDi and switch to VS Code. Rather, I aim to share with you a few of my favorite settings and features in VS Code.

  Join In The Discussion

  Can’t figure out how to do something? Have a suggestion for a new enhancement? I am continually impressed with the speed at which I get responses when I post something. The team of coders and contributors to the Code for IBM i …

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• 2024 IBM i Predictions, Part Deux

  January 22, 2024 Alex Woodie

  How will 2024 unfold? Nobody knows the answer to that. But that’s not stopping members of the IBM i community from taking some swings. It’s not only a good Bayesian exercise to think through the probabilities of what may occur, but it’s often a bit of fun, too.

  Our second batch of 2024 predictions starts with IBM distinguished engineer Steve Will, who, as the IBM i chief technology officer and IBM i chief architect, doesn’t need to guess where the platform is going, since he’s literally leading the creation of it. Instead, his prediction focuses on the community.

  “2024 will …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 26, Number 3

  January 22, 2024 Doug Bidwell

  Earlier last week, we reported on HIPER and security patches for the relatively ancient IBM i 7.2, which has long since been off standard and now extended maintenance. Now there is another patch for IBM i 7.2, which we found out about this past weekend.

  To review, in Number 2 of the IBM i PTF Guide for 2024, there was an IBM i 7.2 Group HIPER, level 240, which is SF99719 and which you can find out more about here, and an IBM i 7.2 Group Security, level 128, which is SF99718 and which you can find out more …

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• IBM i Job Outlook for 2024 Not Great, But Not All Bad Either

  January 17, 2024 Bob Langieri

  First, the good news: Salaries for IBM i and RPG developers and programmers continue to go up. Average salaries of new hires of senior developers in 2023 have been getting $120,000 to $130,000. I predict this going up 6 to 10 percent in 2024, to $127,000 to $143,000. Some with specialized skills will get 10 to 20 percent more.

  This is why it’s important to add to your skills. IBM i salaries still pale compared to other more popular platforms and skills. Hiring is still very slow in the IBM RPG world as companies are doing more with less! Hot …

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• Modernizing On A Budget: Practical Strategies For IBM i

  January 17, 2024 Christine Brown

  For many businesses, the IBM i platform has served as the backbone of operations for decades. Its reliability, security, and scalability have made it a trusted workhorse, processing critical transactions, and storing vital data. Yet, as technology marches forward, even the most resilient systems eventually face the question of modernization. With budget constraints often a reality, the dilemma becomes how to extend the life of your aging IBM i infrastructure without breaking the bank.

  But don’t worry. Modernization while being cost-conscious is entirely achievable with strategic planning and a judicious mix of strategic upgrades, cloud integration, and the strategic use …

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• Top Priorities in 2024: Security and AI

  January 17, 2024 Alex Woodie

  Two sometimes opposing forces will be at play in 2024: the threat of cybersecurity breaches on the one hand and the promise of tech disruption thanks to AI on the other. Tech leaders, including IBM i professionals, who chart a course through these obstacles will be well-positioned to help their companies and their careers in the years to come.

  First, let’s cover security. It’s no secret that cybercriminals have been ramping up their game over the past few years. Since the Covid-19 pandemic gave online activity a turbo-boost four years ago, cybercriminals have been having a field day with people’s …

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• Four Hundred Monitor, January 17

  January 17, 2024 Jenny Thomas

  Pew Research Center recently conducted a study to get an idea if there really is growing public concern about the role of artificial intelligence in daily life. Overall, it found that 53 percent of Americans say AI is doing more to hurt than help people keep their personal information private. Only 10 percent say AI helps more than it hurts, and 37 percent weren’t sure. (You can read more about this study in the Top Stories below.) For this ecosystem, there is no escaping AI. The best we can do is help you stay abreast of the latest developments and …

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• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 26, Number 2

  January 17, 2024 Doug Bidwell

  As odd as it may seem, this week there are HIPER and security patches available for IBM i 7.2, which has long since been off standard and now extended maintenance.

  First, there is a defective PTF for IBM i 7.2, which was noted on January 10.

  • LICENSED PROGRAM = 5798FAX
  • APAR NUMBER: SE81023
  • RECOMMENDATION: Apply fixing PTF xxxxxxx when it becomes available, or remove PTF SI85576, or use the SNDFAX command instead of the SBMFAX command.

  There is also an IBM i 7.2 Group HIPER, level 240, which is SF99719 and which you can find out more about here, …

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• IBM i Community Shares 2024 Predictions

  January 15, 2024 Alex Woodie

  Spaceship Earth has completed another trip around the Sun, which means one thing: Time for 2024 IBM i predictions! Hopefully you enjoy this year’s predictions, which seem to sport a good mixture of optimism and realism.

  The future for IBM i is wide open – open source, that is, says Liam Allan, the creator of Code for IBM i and a software developer for IBM i.

  “My prediction is pretty simple. Businesses will continue to invest in themselves through the power of open source,” Allan says. “Whether it be using dev tools, open source runtimes like Node.js, or even newer …

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• Thoroughly Modern: How IBM i Shops Can Navigate The AI Landscape In 2024

  January 15, 2024 Marc Hunter

  AI continues to have an influence on us in 2024, and beyond. Implementing AI in a tangible way will require IBM i leaders to navigate diverse problems, capabilities, opinions, and experiments. It will pave the way for evolving our strategies, and possibly even developing an entirely new set of approaches.

  Think of it in terms of making pizza: We have many recipes that make good pizza, we know what toppings work together, we know how much seasoning we need. When a revolutionary new ingredient is introduced, we need to reevaluate every recipe going forward – is this an ingredient that …

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