The system business is roaring along in 2015, and it looks like the industry might devour a historic number of machines this year, if the first three quarters are any indication. The amount of capacity that companies are consuming is staggering, and not something the analysts at IDC or Gartner talk about when they put out their quarterly figures. But we like to think these things through.

It looks like Power Systems sales are on the rise, too. So maybe, just maybe, a tide is rising that will lift all boats a little. (Provided interest rate increases or some other

It might surprise some people to read about companies that are investing in the IBM midrange platform. After all, at least one of the top research and analysis firms has had IBM i, and before that the iSeries, and before that the AS/400, on a death watch for something like a dozen years or so. Not everyone believes that. And here’s a $6 million reason why the IBM i market is worthy of investment.

When IBM i ISV Fresche Legacy looked for an investor that could give the application modernization software company a lift, it found rather quickly what it

“The only constant. . . is change.” That cliché is enough to induce a vigorous eye roll from hardened IT pros, but it’s actually apropos for the IT industry, which feeds off disruption like the Kardashians feed on media attention. Now, a pair of new studies indicate a large number of software vendors are ill equipped to handle the current round of cloud- and mobile-induced IT chaos.

The rise of powerful smartphones and tablets has eliminated the need to have a Windows PC or laptop to access many enterprise software applications. That’s a huge win for enterprise software users and

Just when you think the excesses and oddities of the Internet can no longer surprise, along come reports of an online ISIS “help desk”–24/7 assistance for the budding jihadist. Well, it turns out the reports were inaccurate. It’s not a single point of contact, but a “decentralized, multi-platform recruit outreach,” according to West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center. Regardless, trolling for expendable volunteers willing to detonate themselves for your cause certainly marks a departure from the ordinary array of bile-flavored hate sites.

Suicide bombers originate in many countries, and are subject to a variety of cultural influences. But if they have

Users of IBM i and its predecessors have had their share of horror stories. Those on any other business computing platform can say the same. However, I think it’s fair to say the IBM midrange platform is no worse than any other and is better than its competition in many ways. But that doesn’t make it a fairy tale. Evidence of this is the IBM Entitled Systems Support. Also known as the portal to hell.

For just about anyone who has tried to order a product or a product upgrade from IBM, this is a horror story. The needle on