• ProData Gets Graphic, Releases DBU for RDi

  May 23, 2016 Dan Burger

  IBM midrange shops with active development environments are taking an interest in modernization projects. And along with that, comes graphical development tools like Rational Developer for i, commonly referred to as RDi. As more companies find RDi useful, more ISVs realize plug-ins to RDi are in demand. ProData Computer Services just joined the list by offering an RDi plug-in to its popular data access utility called DBU. DBU RDi offers developers direct access to database files in graphical form and the capability to execute DBU functions from within the RDi Remote Systems Explorer (RSE) panel. In addition to the DB2

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• As I See It: The Other Intelligent Design

  May 23, 2016 Victor Rozek

  When you are 25 years old, a quarter century sounds very much like a lifetime, but it’s probably less time than the Kardashians collectively spend admiring themselves in the mirror. Still, in the time it took another generation to come of age and embark on their career paths, the law of cause and effect as it pertains to the job market was turned on its head: working people had become all but irrelevant to the creation of wealth. Nowhere is that more evident than in IT. While manufacturing has long since resigned from the nuisance of hiring Americans in favor

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• IBM Wheels And Deals To Get IBM i Shops Current

  May 23, 2016 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  We have been complaining a bit that IBM did not deliver new Power8+ processors and an expected bump in price/performance and lower prices as well to help stimulate the IBM i segment of the Power Systems business. But lo and behold, IBM is finally coming around to the idea that it has to actually do something to entice customers on old releases to move to the latest Power8 iron and to get their licensed program products and operating system on Software Maintenance. The latest deal, called the IBM i License Transfer Promo, was unveiled at the COMMON conference last week

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• IBM i Execs Put Database On The Map

  May 23, 2016 Dan Burger

  The IBM i roadmap goes nowhere without DB2 for i. It’s the database that drives the bus. With each release of the IBM i operating system and each of the Technology Refreshes that come between the releases, we find database enhancements prominent. And this isn’t going to change. At least for the foreseeable future, it’s a data-centric world. It’s not fair to say IBM i innovation is nothing but database. There’s a lot going on in other areas, but the success of the system has always been the integrated database and the future success of the system will absolutely depend

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• Clearlake Sees Vision Deal As M&A Platform In IBM i Land

  May 23, 2016 Alex Woodie

  Clearlake Sees Vision Deal As M&A Platform In IBM i Land Vision Solutions, the dominant player in the market for IBM i high availability software, is being sold by Thoma Bravo to Clearlake Capital Group. The transaction, which is expected to be completed by the end of June, will give Clearlake a platform for pursuing more acquisitions in the IBM i ecosystem, a spokesperson with the company told IT Jungle. Thoma Cressey, as the San Francisco-based private equity firm was then known, obtained Vision Solutions with its acquisition of Idion Technology Holdings way back in September 2006

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• Responsive Design, Node.js Top BCD App Dev Enhancements

  May 18, 2016 Dan Burger

  It’s really difficult to overstate the importance of application development to any organization. It’s a simple tool, but it needs to be the right tool. When done right, it’s crucial to business efficiency. Getting it right and keeping it simple is the target, yet somehow the aim differs wildly from the result. Shoot fast but shoot straight. Don’t just hit the target. Hit the bull’s eye. BCD Software is one of several application development vendors in the IBM midrange market that can help application developers shoot fast and straight. The company has a new release of its desktop and mobile

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• Rocket Brings Mobile App DevOps Into The IBM i Fold

  May 18, 2016 Alex Woodie

  Rocket Software is launching a new tool that simplifies the management and distribution of mobile application source code. Called Rocket Lifecycle for Mobile, the new software is designed to make it easier for IBM i shops to manage the DevOps lifecycle for today’s modern applications, which involve not only closely administered servers but also widely dispersed smartphones. Mobile application development continues to be a hot trend in the IBM i space, as smartphones become more woven into our personal and professional lives. Four out of 10 IBM i shops have a mobile computing initiative, according to HelpSystems‘ 2016 IBM

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• Manufacturer Leans In On Shop Floor Automation

  May 18, 2016 Alex Woodie

  When Hoffmaster finally flipped the switch on its ERP migration at the end of February, IT director Rick Dittberner was nervous. Not only was the paper-goods supplier consolidating a manufacturing site on Infor ERP LX, but it was also replacing an old shop floor reporting system with a new one from Crossroads RMC. There was a lot that could go wrong for the IBM i shop. Hoffmaster is a half-a-billion-dollar manufacturer of disposable tabletop paper products, including plates, cups, cutlery, napkins, placemats, and table covers. You can find products from the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, company’s consumer division in stores such

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• Townsend Brings Modern Crypto Capabilities To Legacy RPG Apps

  May 18, 2016 Alex Woodie

  The field-level encryption capability that IBM introduced with IBM i 7.1 is a powerful tool for securing sensitive data. However, IBM i shops that have not modernized their legacy RPG applications with SQL access methods find it difficult to use. That should change with new technology coming out of Townsend Security this week at the COMMON conference in New Orleans. The DB2 field procedure exit point that IBM launched in 2010 helped a lot of IBM i shops to encrypt their data on a field-level. The capability to encrypt pieces of sensitive data residing in particular parts of their DB2

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• Product Highlights From Spring COMMON 2016

  May 18, 2016 Alex Woodie

  As the world’s largest gathering of IBM i professionals, COMMON‘s Annual Meeting and Expo is a natural place to announce new products. This year’s event in New Orleans, Louisiana, is no different, as IBM i vendors unveiled new and improved wares across a range of product categories. We’ll dive into more depth on most of these products in future issues of The Four Hundred, but for now here’s a quick run-down on the products turning our heads at the show. Fresche Legacy “Heatmap” tool Before embarking upon an application modernization project, it’s good to know how the existing

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