• Spectrum Manages ‘E-Assets’ with SCM Tool

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  System i shops looking to upgrade their development processes with better accountability and more automation may want to take a look at Spectrum Software, a Georgia developer of source code management tools. The company’s flagship product, called SpectrumSCM, is a process-centric SCM tool based in Java that’s designed to help teams of people from all walks of life manage the lifecycle of various types of “e-assets” from the comfort of a Web browser. Such e-assets managed by SpectrumSCM could refer to the source code for a custom-built Java CRM system, the working blueprints for a new factory, or a

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• ProData Expands Database Support in DBU

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  ProData Computer Services expanded the number of databases its SQL-based power tools can work with yesterday when it announced support for JDBC drivers with its DBU Remote Database (RDB) offering. ProData already supported most major databases–including DB2/400 of course–with its DBU RDB tool, but with the new release, customers gain access to additional databases such as IBM‘s Informix and Sybase ASE Server through those vendors’ standard JDBC drivers. DBU RDB was launched by ProData about 18 months ago to expand the number and types of databases that users of its flagship Database Utility (DBU) power tool can work with.

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• Micro Focus Works on COBOL Standardization, Training

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  When you think about COBOL, chances are good that Micro Focus isn’t far from mind. In recent years, the English company has become the largest third-party provider of COBOL tools, and is the biggest backer of the programming language that traces its roots to 1959. Last week, Micro Focus announced steps it will take to address the looming skills shortage as baby boomers retire, and to help modernize and evolve COBOL standards to be more interoperable with XML. While Java and .NET receive most of the attention these days, COBOL is actually the most widely used programming language in the

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• Oracle Launches ‘Best Practice Center’ for SOA-Enabling JDE EnterpriseOne

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  JD Edwards EnterpriseOne users looking to accelerate their plans to develop a service oriented architecture (SOA) should check out a new “best practice center” recently launched to the Web by Oracle. The online portal provides tips on using Oracle’s Fusion middleware for extending EnterpriseOne using SOA and related technologies. Oracle is also hosting a Webcast on the topic today at 9 a.m. PST. Oracle’s new best practice center provides an array of Webcasts, tutorials, technical articles, and blog postings designed to familiarize EnterpriseOne shops with SOA concepts and the Oracle Fusion products that can help them exceed their wildest

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• Aldon Streamlines Coding for Health Insurance Company

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Without a change management system in place, the Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners (CMFHP) had a difficult time keeping track of the RPG and .NET development occurring on its business applications. Since installing Aldon‘s change management system, CMFHP is enjoying higher productivity in its IT department and streamlined workflow and auditing. The CMFHP is a non-profit “safety net” health plan owned by Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri. The company provides low-cost and no-cost health care coverage to struggling individuals in the state of Kansas (through contracts with Kansas HealthWave) and in Kansas City, Missouri (through

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• Cowabunga, Dude: O’Neill Standardizes on Lawson M3 for European Operations

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  The European division of surfboard, wetsuit, and clothing manufacturer O’Neill is implementing Lawson Software‘s M3 suite of ERP applications on the IBM System i server. The roll-out of M3 Fashion is aimed at synchronizing the manufacturer’s supply chain operations, the software company announced last week. O’Neill is one of the original “surf brands” and traces it roots back to the 1950s, when Jack O’Neill opened his first surf shop in San Francisco. There, O’Neill sold some of the first crude wetsuits, which he glued together from foam. His son, Pat, is also credited with inventing another vital component of

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• XAware Plugs Integration Tooling Into Latest Eclipse Release

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Developers can now utilize the application integration capabilities of the open source XAware product from the comfort of their Eclipse version 3.4 development environment, the company announced last week. XAware is a Java-based data integration tool suite that allows users to create reusable logic to move data among disparate systems, including the System i, which has been certified as a target and a source for data transformations for the last two years. The company promotes a high-level configuration-based approach to data integration that relies heavily on the reuse of components and the avoidance of low-level programming. XAware went open source

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• Magic Updates iBOLT For Salesforce

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Magic Software unveiled a new release of its iBOLT integration software for Salesforce.com customers at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco this week. The new release should make it easier for customers to share data between their on-premise ERP systems and their cloud-based Salesforce.com environment. Magic Software sells a series of iBOLT products aimed at eliminating much of the drudgery of hand-coding integration points among enterprise applications. The software allows users to create connections using a graphical drag-and-drop interface, and uses wizards to speed the configuration. In addition to iBOLT Special Edition for Salesforce.com, the company offers iBOLT Special Editions

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• Classic Software and System i Power World’s Largest Truck Stop

  November 4, 2008 Alex Woodie

  It’s common knowledge within the AS/400 community that the trucking industry is one of the platform’s most loyal strongholds. What may be less well-known is that the IBM midrange server also plays a pivotal role along the truck stops and service stations dotting this nation’s highways. In fact, System i servers and applications from Classic Software help to run the world’s largest truck stop: The Iowa 80 Group’s station in Walcott, Iowa. The Iowa 80 Group traces its roots back to early 1960s, before Interstate 80 was even completed. At the time, the company, which is owned by the Moon

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• Is the Smart Cube the New i?

  November 3, 2008 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  While I have been watching IBM for longer than I have done just about anything else in my life except watching Penn State football and marveling that I can get paid to do the job I do, even after all these years, sometimes Big Blue does something that surprises me. Sometimes, the surprise is caused by the company’s utter stupidity, or incompetence. Sometimes, it is the genius of its engineering. Sometimes, it is just the way IBM puts something and then the coffee comes out my nose. So it is with announcement letter 108-904, which you can read here for

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