The power of SQL is a double-edged sword on the iSeries. Its ease of use and speed make SQL a lifesaver when DB2/400 data must be fixed quickly. But, in the wrong hands, SQL can be used to copy, change, or delete whole swaths of a database, which can be done in relative obscurity. Tango/04 Computing Group recently launched new SQL Monitor software designed to shine some light on SQL’s dark side.

Consider the potential uses of SQL on the iSeries, as related by Raul Cristian Aguirre, chief executive of Tango/04. “A well-known fraud scheme involved people from IT in

The July 16 release of WebSphere Development Studio client (WDSc) is a reasonable gauge of how far the WebSphere product line has developed over the past two and a half years. It’s also an indicator of how far it still has to go. Comparing then and now, the cost of converting legacy applications to Web applications and the cost of the server have dropped considerably. And the new IBM Power5-based i5 models provide the horsepower to run this feature-rich software.

Start with the i5 Model 520 Express bundle, which significantly changes the footprint required to run WebSphere Application Server (WAS).

IBM launched a fresh volley at rival Microsoft last week with the introduction of new Domino-based e-mail software for OS/400 and other platforms. Domino Messaging Express is designed for organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees that can’t afford enterprise-strength collaboration software but need reliable e-mail serving, nonetheless. And with a starting price of $48 for companies that give up their old e-mail software, IBM has put the software’s crosshairs squarely on Exchange 5.5.

IBM first started targeting disgruntled Exchange users when it launched its line of Domino Express products about a year ago (see “IBM Domino Express Takes On Exchange

There are few Java-based search engines on the market, and even fewer targeting the OS/400 platform. However, one Java-based search engine developer, Dieselpoint, sees a potential niche in this space. The company’s Dieselpoint Search engine has been successfully deployed on British retailer HMV‘s iSeries-based Web site, and today the companies are developing a link to allow HMV clerks to access the search engine from their green-screen point-of-sale (POS) systems.

With the Christmas 2003 shopping rush nearing, HMV, the UK’s largest retailer of music, DVDs, videos, and computer games, needed to bolster the search capabilities of its www.hmv.co.uk Web