Business partners who resell Power Systems iron running the IBM i operating system have to jump through a lot of hoops to prove to Big Blue that they know what they are talking about when it comes to selling, installing, and configuring machinery. This is not a new thing to the IBM midrange, but rather the normal course of things since the days of the AS/400 and a natural consequence of selling a product through channel partners instead of a direct sales force. And that is precisely how all of us in the IBM i ecosystem want it to stay.

A mobile workforce benefits from remote access to information and applications. Done right, a mobile application development project can be created, tested, introduced in phases, and enhanced within a schedule that handles risks and reduces project management trauma. Last year, one of 21 regional centers within the California Department of Developmental Services began a search for mobile application development assistance. It found a partner, developed a pilot project, and is on its way to a statewide rollout.

The California Department of Developmental Services provides services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities. The San Diego-Imperial Counties Developmental Services, Inc. (SDICDSI),

In the ongoing battle for network superiority, cybercriminals appear to be gaining the upper hand. The rise of commercial malware and the sophistication of hyperscale hacker tools are giving the bad guys incredibly powerful tools to perpetrate their crimes. Considering the disjointed approach to cyber threats in Western nations, some experts say it’s time to explore fundamentally new approaches to fighting it.

The specter of cyber warfare is not a pretty one, especially in the wholesome land of Mom and Apple Pie. But guess what? Hackers and cyber criminals around the world have already declared war on pretty much everybody,

Daniel Borson has a dream. It’s an unusual dream to be sure, shared only by a select few. In fact, just 31 others have achieved it, some by what can only be described as dubious means. But when you stalk great honor, you must be willing to rise above convention. Which in this case is not a problem. Daniel Borson wants to be a SLUG Queen, a dream that bears less resemblance to Dr. King than to Dr. Seuss.

Borson works in IT as a developer/analyst for the local water and electric utility. He has the distinction of having gone

If the words investigative, inquisitive, and analytical fit you like a kite fits in the hands of ol’ Ben Franklin, you probably don’t shy away from challenges–like building a robotic dog in your basement or learning to fly–programmatically speaking–without SEU, the old green-screen development tool. I can’t help you with your robotic dog, but here’s some help for those of you with SEU abandonment issues. Let me steer you to Susan Gantner’s recently updated version of Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts for RSE.

Gantner is possibly the most well-known trainer-educator-author in the IBM midrange. I’d make a bet her

Nice article, well written and factual. I myself still work on OpenVMS because it “just works.” I too thought it would be a good idea to port OpenVMS to X86, ARM, and others–most of the knowledge in porting from VAX to Alpha made it easier to go from Alpha to Itanium.

Your article is one the only I’ve seen that mentions ARM and others or any reference to a comment about not limiting OpenVMS just to X86. I am assuming you are the only one who read everything that VMS Software said, then well done!

–No Name

Hello there. I

A London private equity firm is reportedly in the lead to buy Epicor Software, the American provider of ERP software for midsize manufacturers and distributors, including the RPG-based application formerly known as CMS/400.

According to a Reuters story last month, CVC Capital Partners bid of $3 billion was the highest bid to date. Epicor, which is currently owned by another London-based private equity firm, Apax Partners, put itself up for sale earlier this year.

Apax bought Epicor and another ERP software vendor, Activant Solutions (formerly Triad Systems) in 2011 and then merged them under the name Epicor Software.

The deal is almost done, and IBM has nearly rid itself of an X86 market that it helped foster, sometimes unwillingly, and yet never could figure out how to dominate. Perhaps that was a good thing for computing as a whole, but it may not be a very good thing for International Business Machines, as we knew it, over the long haul.

I am talking about IBM’s $2.3 billion deal to sell off its entire System x business, including all of its X86 based systems and 7,500 employees who design, make, market, and sell its machines, to Chinese computing giant

Rimini Street, the third-party software maintenance company that continues to build business by contracting its services to Oracle and SAP customers, finds itself holding the dirty end of the stick after a federal judge last week ruled Oracle’s copyrights were encroached upon by Rimini Street. The judge also determined Rimini Street’s counterclaims against Oracle for defamation and unfair competition are unfounded.

Oracle in 2010 filed a lawsuit claiming Rimini Street stole Oracle intellectual property in the course of building its software support business. The legal drama is playing out in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

To successfully take on the challenges of building a modern, high-efficiency digital enterprise, IBM midrange organizations should be re-energizing their in-house IT staff for roles that are the natural evolution of enterprise computing. Not making the effort to do so is a missed opportunity. In most IBM i shops the IT personnel have deep experience with the IT infrastructure as well as intimate knowledge of your business and your industry niche. This isn’t the kind of knowledge you can acquire from outside your organizations.

Developing the talent to manage the modernization of IT starts with the value accrued in your