• Apache Kafka And Zookeeper Now Supported On IBM i

  September 9, 2020 Alex Woodie

  IBM quietly added support for two open source technologies, Apache Kafka and Apache Zookeeper, on IBM i. Both projects are critical elements of emerging distributed computing frameworks in the big data space, although they have very different uses.

  Apache Zookeeper is a core underlying technology for enabling distributed computing and ensuring that applications running atop Zookeeper are highly resilient. The software functions as a centralized service for keeping track of nodes in a cluster, and for synchronizing data and services among the different nodes.

  All of the nodes in a Zookeeper cluster have access to a shared hierarchical namespace. If …

  Read more

• Driving System TCO With IBM Global Asset Recovery Services

  September 9, 2020 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  (Sponsored Content) When economic times are uncertain, that means by necessity that IT budgets are also uncertain, and saying that IT is the core of the business and that software is eating the world does nothing to change these hard, cold, capital facts. And that is why in these times people often turn to used, refurbished, certified pre-owned, or even remanufactured IT equipment instead of trying to get the acquisition of a PC, laptop, a smartphone, a switch, a storage array, or a server by the bean counters in the accounting department.

  This is no different than what …

  Read more

• COVID-19 Delivers 2020 Clarity for Omnichannel

  September 9, 2020 Alex Woodie

  The viral pandemic is impacting society in profound and multi-faceted ways. In the consumer goods supply chain, which includes a good chunk of IBM i shops, COVID-19 is forcing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to get a lot nimbler in a hurry — particularly as it relates to diversifying sales channels and embracing omnichannel fulfillment strategies.

  Ecommerce has exploded during COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdowns, as consumers elect to make purchases online instead of venturing into stores, which raises the risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus. According to Adobe Analytics’ Digital Economy Index, ecommerce spending surged by 78 …

  Read more

• Four Hundred Monitor, September 9

  September 9, 2020 Jenny Thomas

  For many of us, Labor Day is a signal that the end of the year is near, and now we are in a straight sprint to survive the holidays and get the heck out of 2020. While it’s probably a good idea to start bracing for whatever grand finale this wacky year has in store for us, IBM might actually be looking forward to what’s in store for Q4. Our top two articles below make some positive predictions for how Big Blue may finish out the year, and it looks like despite the pandemic IBM might come out a winner …

  Read more

• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 36

  September 9, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  With the Labor Day weekend underway in the United States, a bank holiday in Europe the week before, and everybody having just about enough of the coronavirus pandemic, it was expectedly quiet on the PTF front in IBM i Land this past weekend when we took a look at the database of patches. Which is a good thing.

  But we like to be thorough and complete, and the IBM i PTF Guide always has some useful information you need and this is the most current way to get it.

  As for the PTF rundown by release, there weren’t any, so …

  Read more

• JD Edwards Co-Founder McVaney Leaves A Legacy

  September 2, 2020 Alex Woodie

  Ed McVaney, who emerged from a frugal childhood in Nebraska to eventually lead one of the most successful enterprise software companies in the world, died this past June at the age of 79.

  McVaney is best remembered as the co-founder and CEO of JD Edwards, the Denver, Colorado-based company that would become known as the gold-standard for ERP software on the AS/400 and its predecessor and successor machines. In 2016, more than a decade after JD Edwards was sold to PeopleSoft, McVaney founded NextWorld, a cloud ERP software company that is run by his daughter, Kylee.

  McVaney was the …

  Read more

• Visual LANSA Customers Can Now ‘Portalize’ Their Apps

  September 2, 2020 Alex Woodie

  LANSA is well known to IBM i shops for its low-code developer tools. But the company also has its share of shrink-wrapped applications. With the recent launch of pre-build Web portal called Portalize, it’s added another to its collection.

  Portalize is a portal framework that Visual LANSA customers can use to get a secure Web portal up and running with a minimal amount of effort. The product, which LANSA introduced in June, supplies the core components that an organization would need to get a portal off the ground, such as security, account creation, authentication, and logging capabilities.

  The software, which …

  Read more

• CNX Releases Beta of Valence 6.0

  September 2, 2020 Alex Woodie

  CNX last week announced the beta release of Valence 6.0, the newest version of its Web development framework and portal for IBM i. Valence 6.0 brings a whole new look and feel to Web applications created with Valence, as well as updates to administrative functions, the data access layer, and more.

  Valence is a set of tools for creating Web and mobile applications that run under IBM i’s Apache Web server and access existing RPG business logic. The product has several components, including a JavaScript library; a set of RPG procedures for integrating various JavaScript libraries (Ext JS, React, or …

  Read more

• Four Hundred Monitor, September 2

  September 2, 2020 Jenny Thomas

  Labor Day is right around the corner, which means the end of summer and the kids are headed back to school. Just like many of you have already done with your jobs, many students are adjusting to doing their schoolwork from home. In my house, day one was bumpy. My son couldn’t get into his first class. But by day two, the kinks were worked out and he was (begrudgingly) officially back to school. While we may be newbs at online schooling, there are plenty of experts in the field right here within our IBM i community. If you’re feeling …

  Read more

• IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 22, Number 35

  September 2, 2020 Doug Bidwell

  There’s not a lot going on in this week’s edition of the PTF guide. No new links, no new defectives, I don’t even have a tip for you. But why ask for trouble? Sometimes it’s a better idea to just enjoy the quiet while we can since we never know what could be around the corner. Now would be a great time to do a little housekeeping around your shop, make sure everything is up to date, and do a little research into upgrading your system if that’s something you’ve been considering. As usual, you can find the regular updates …

  Read more

Previous Articles Next Articles