Thousands of JD Edwards customers will be running mostly unsupported ERP applications on completely unsupported operating systems if they don’t upgrade their critical systems by the end of the year. Oracle is sticking by its decision to end mainstream support this December for JD Edwards World applications, many of which are still running on IBM‘s i5/OS V5R4, which IBM is killing in September. EnterpriseOne shops on old releases also face a deadline. “It’s a pretty critical time for those customers,” says Oracle’s JD Edwards chief Lyle Ekdahl.

In December, Oracle will stop providing most forms of tech support for

Zend Technologies today is expected to announce the general availability of its latest PHP stack, including Zend Server version 6 and Zend Studio 10. The development tool gains new mobile tooling, specifically the inclusion of the PhoneGap mobile app framework. The Zend Server runtime, meanwhile, brings new features to help programmers and operators work together more efficiently to track down problems in production PHP apps. The IBM i version of Zend Server, when it ships, will have a new edition as well.

Consider these sobering statistics, which Zend chief marketing officer Elaine Lennox shared with IT Jungle last week:

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Companies are clamoring for new and flexible software licensing models, such as subscription-based licensing and usage-based licensing, to replace outdated models, according to a new survey from Flexera Software. For years, enterprises have been growing increasingly dissatisfied with traditional models, such as perpetual licensing with annual maintenance fees. The good news is enterprise software vendors are beginning to listen, and have started giving customers what they ask for.

You don’t have to go far to find a dissatisfied consumer of enterprise software. In fact, there may be one in your shop right now (it may even be you!). Any

Software AG has just put the finishing touches on a major new release of webMethods JIS, the Web-enablement solution for IBM i and z/OS servers that was formerly owned by Jacada. Version 9.2 brings the first taste of mobility with a new iPad client. It also introduces a new 64-bit Java runtime, simplified installation, and various other enhancements and fixes.

In 2007, Software AG spent about $26 million to acquire three products–Jacada Interface Server (JIS), Jacada Integrator, and a terminal emulator–from Atlanta, Georgia-based Jacada. Today, Jacada retains rights to some of these products only for use in its call-center

The pressure applied on IBM to get several former Lotus products running on IBM i worked, as IBM has committed to supporting Lotus Notes Traveler and IBM Connections on the platform. Now, the Power Systems Champions are shifting their focus to getting additional products supported, too.

At the recent IBM Connect (formerly Lotusphere) conference, Justin Liu, an IBM developerWorks correspondent, and a camera crew tracked down Roxanne Reynolds-Lair, the Power Systems Champion and tireless IBM i promoter, to chat about the intersection of Power Systems servers and IBM’s collaboration platform. The interview was recently posted on IBM’s YouTube channel.

Reynolds-Lair,

Mobile application development has taken the world–and the IBM i midrange–by storm. But there are important decisions to make before embarking upon a mobile app development strategy, namely, should you develop native apps, build apps that run in the Web browser, or take a hybrid approach for mobile devices? Development tool maker mrc recently published a white paper on the topic.

The title of mrc’s white paper, “Native mobile apps: The wrong choice for business?” makes mrc’s position on the matter fairly clear from the get-go. In almost no situations does it make sense for a business to build native

2012 was a good year for Spinnaker Support, which provides third-party support services for customers running JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, JDE World, and SAP ERP software. The company claims that it grew revenues by 38 percent in 2012 compared to 2012, while sales bookings are up more than 100 percent.

“2012 was a year for tremendous growth and accomplishments for Spinnaker Support,” states the company’s CEO Matt Stava in a press release. “Our team has grown in ways we could have only dreamed of a few years ago and our current pipeline is three times larger than it was this

In 1997, the original developers of the MAC-PAC ERP system, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) selected TDCI to take over responsibility and control of the IBM i-based ERP system. Fifteen years later, the product is still going strong, TDCI says.

MAC-PAC XE, as it’s now called, is a manufacturing-oriented ERP system that is currently used by 85 companies across the world, including Nissan Forklift, Ingersoll Rand, Watlow, Quaker Window and Door, AT Cross, and Steelcraft. Even Microsoft once used the software for its product packaging business.

The mature product, which supports i5/OS V5R4 through IBM i 7.1, includes core MRP

IBM last week completed its acquisition of StoredIQ, which helps companies alleviate legal risk by analyzing vast data stores and deleting old information, or “data debris.” It also announced the acquisition of Star Analytics, which develops tools to help companies integrate their reporting and business intelligence tools, wherever they may be.

IBM says its acquisition of StoredIQ, which was first announced in December, will bolster its other acquisitions, including PSS Systems and Vivisimo, and provide new capabilities to existing IBM solutions in the areas of archiving, e-discovery, data governance, and records and retention management.

The software from Austin,

A Saudi Arabian Caterpillar dealer will implement Infor M3 on the IBM i server platform to automate its business processes, Infor announced recently. The two-year roll-out of M3 for Equipment will begin shortly for Zahid Tractor & Heavy Machinery Co. and related companies.

Zahid will implement several M3 for Equipment modules, including supply chain execution, warehouse mobility, sales management, and financial accounting. The solution will be implemented by Accentia Middle East, Infor’s M3 partner in the region.

The new software is expected to help smooth the flow of information and business processes among the company’s various departments at 40 sites