May 2008

• Beyond RPG - It's time to look beyond the RPG that you've been using for the last couple decades and move on to modern application development -- ILE RPG or otherwise. It's time to consider alternatives to RPG OPM.
• Beyond RPG: Model-Driven Development - The next era in development is here, and leading the way into the new millennium is model-driven development (MDD), which introduces the concept of domain-oriented abstractions. This article explores how MDD can help you.
• Beyond RPG: A Java Guy’s Perspective - A Java enthusiast offers specific examples on why Java is the solution to many old and future IT problems. He also shares some pros and cons of EGL, which can be useful in the modernization process. However, even with the use of EGL, Java knowledge is imperative.
• Go Beyond RPG — with Modern RPG - The value of a business-oriented application comes not from the language it's written in but from the business objectives that it lets its users achieve. You can write modular, cohesive, well-encapsulated code in today's RPG.
• Beyond RPG with .NET - Like it or not, Microsoft development tools are powerful, feature-rich, and used in businesses of all sizes. The .NET framework lets you take advantage of that power on the System i — here’s how.
• RPG "Hacks" PASE - Hundreds of shared libraries are available in PASE and open-source products if you know how to take advantage of them. This RPG program lets you call the APIs in those libraries and open up the world of PASE to your applications.
• Taking Advantage of Open Source for i5/OS - Open source applications for i5/OS provide a great way to customize your environment for your organization. Here's one example of an open source app in action.
• i5/OS Built-in HTTP Service Proxy Support - V5R4 introduces a built-in HTTP service proxy support as part of IBM's new Electronic Customer Care connection. Set up one system or partition as a connection aggregation point (CAP), and other systems or partitions can use the CAP system to connect to IBM.
• Tech Corner - Delete Old Spooled Files in V5R4 * Limited Users Can Run Commands from a Command Line * List Programs Using ILE Features * V5R4 i5/OS Intrusion Detection System
• Dr. I Doctor (May 2008) -

  Dr. I Doctor discusses VoIP echo causes and solutions, and explains how incoming e-mail messages can be inadvertently duplicated.

• Feedback - Java in Perspective; Java 2; More Thoughts on Computer Performance
• Always Room to Improve - Despite the doom that many have cast on our beloved i5, it is still around and advancing in some areas. But there is always room to do better.
• f.y.i. System - System i Morphs Into Power and 'i'; Microsoft’s Midrange Alliance Finds System i Vendors; i5/OS No Stranger to PowerVM — or Vice Versa; IDC Report Illuminates Server Sales
• IBM Announcements -
• System i Dev Experts Talk RDi, RDi SOA - Some of the System i's best minds sound off on what V6R1 means to developers. Rather than focusing on the good, the bad, and the ugly of RDi and RDi SOA, they opine on the promising, the questionable, the confusing, and the cool.
• Hot New Products -
• A Fresh Look at Application Modernization - The System i community has been arguing about just what application modernization means for at least a decade, while most System i shops have made limited progress towards achieving it. Here’s help in breaking the stalemate.
• Approaches to Application Modernization - Application modernization can be scary but is a necessary step for any business. A System i mentor offers tips on modernizing and goes through the steps to get your business on the track to success.
• A Field Guide to Encore's System i Software - When Encore revamped its consumer management application, its team had to develop new components and get creative. Find out how the team used a multistep process to meet its goals.
• Cilasoft Offers Rush a Smooth Ride to Security - When sensitive employee information was shown to have a potential exposure, Rush Trucking had to put on the brakes and find a way to keep private info secure. Enter Cilasoft's CONTROLER.
• Lease or Buy? - In the IT industry, is leasing or buying a better option? There are pros and cons to both that should be considered carefully in order to make the right decision for your company.
• Dynamic Duel - The major hardware and software vendors believe that you achieve better server efficiencies by implementing an IT infrastructure that is dynamic and moves workloads around as demand increases or decreases. Sounds good, but is it all it’s cracked up to be?
• i5/OS Grows Up - Released via V6R1 from its proprietary background, i5/OS is now a very big kid on the block.
• Industry Observer (May 2008) - Get Up to Speed with MySQL for My System i * Debating Data Access * Working with Ajax * Turing Award