Mobilizing IBM i

When I last wrote, I was at the COMMON Annual Conference. I came away with a long list of topics to discuss so it’s about time I get started. Today’s theme: Mobilizing IBM i. No, not “partition mobility” – that was last time. This time, I’m talking about using mobile devices – such as smartphones and tablets – as the interface device into applications running on IBM i.

If you will pardon the pun, a common theme running through the conference was the use of such devices, and how to make good use of them with IBM i. You could walk around the exposition area and see many vendors showing their capabilities on iPhones, Androids and the like. Particularly exciting were those companies who were making a point of showing how to make RPG applications use such devices. In fact, companies that specialize in helping others improve software assets had great demos and material to show IBM i applications on mobile devices.

This has been a growing trend in the i community over the past couple of years. Most businesses are at least examining the use of mobile devices, and some are mandating that a connected workforce use them. In response, IT shops are figuring out how to use the function IBM i provides, plus additional capabilities of partners and the open-source community, to create interfaces their businesses can use. This is what I call “mobilizing” their applications. (My attempt to use “mobilize” as technical jargon may not catch on, but in my mind, this particular topic deserves its own word, because it is one of the biggest “modernization” trends.)

To drive the mobilizing trend home, consider the following: A fun new session was added to the conference that allowed people to stand up and tell a success story in 5-10 minutes. No prepared presentation was needed – just tell the story. Two of those stories were about adding mobile interfaces to existing RPG applications. In once case, it took a few weeks; in another, a few days. Yes, that’s all!

Using the capabilities of the operating system and the language – and in both instances, building with the Rational tool set – the mobilization took far less time than many people in the community would expect. Yes, the programmers had to learn a few new things, but this was not a multiyear project. To be sure, they did not mobilize every RPG application and interface they have, but they addressed the ones that mattered most to their businesses, and along the way they learned the techniques they can apply elsewhere as the business need arises.

There are some added benefits of this mobilization. First is the smile on IBM i users’ faces when they see their favorite system being used in such a useful, modern way. Another is the thrill IBM i developers get from learning something new that can be applied to make their work applicable, important and cool – all at the same time.

Some mobilizing techniques are only applicable to RPG – for example those that use Rational Open Access: RPG Edition. But others are not. There are often multiple ways to satisfy a requirement, and that’s certainly the case here. It’s one of the reasons people have taken to PHP on IBM i, for example. But since most of the software that has been written for this platform over the years has been written in RPG, it is an important demonstration of the capability and vitality of IBM i as an application platform.

 

Twitter: #ibmi, #commonug #IBMRational @Steve_Will_IBMi

 

PureSystems, Mobility, Friends and Disney

You could pick much worse places to be than Anaheim, California this week.

The COMMON Annual Conference is taking place at the Disneyland Resort. As one would expect from Disney, the location is clean, the employees are friendly and helpful, and the food is very tasty.

But that’s not the reason we’re here, right? OK, right, but it makes a week of technical meetings and presentations that much easier to power through. And that’s what we’ve been doing.

One of the highlights of the conference from my point of view is getting to present new material to the IBM i customer set. I’ve already participated in the IBM i Q&A, and shortly will be giving my “Why IBM i?” presentation for the first of two times this week. Tomorrow, I get to participate in an RPG Open Access session describing the Open Standard for DDS which has been driven by the community. I also have the chance to try out a newly written presentation about IBM i Technology Refreshes, and I will sit down for a chat with the Young i Professionals. Finally, Wednesday I have my biggest day of presenting at the conference, with a repeat of “Why i?” along with “IBM i – Today, Tomorrow & Beyond” which has been extensively reworked this year, and the “IBM i Latest & Greatest” talk which wraps up the conference.

Two of the three technical topics I’ve been discussing most are PureSystems and Live Partition Mobility (LPM) – the topics of my two most recent blogs. I haven’t taken a photo of LPM (though it is being demo-ed) but I do have a couple of pictures of a PureApplication system, which is down in the Expo area.

Here’s the back, with a look at all the pre-cabled components.

And here is a nice photo of the front of the machine.

That’s Patty Clancy with me by the machine. She has been very involved in making all of the magic happen to get the PureFlex server ready for delivery.

The third topic that is coming up most in my discussions is Technology Refreshes. I am happy that I had the opportunity to discuss it with the COMMON Americas Advisory Council before the conference started, so I could make my presentation on TRs better than it would have been. And every time I get asked about TRs, I go back to the charts to make sure I have addressed the question when I give the presentation.

After so many years of participating in this conference, you might think I would know everyone who is here, but I keep meeting new people. The conference is big, and new people come each year. Yes, I have many friends at COMMON now, but I am meeting more people every day. It’s one of the rewarding aspects of face-to-face meetings like this. I am happy to be able to give webcasts, and to write blogs and tweet, but there is something special about developing a relationship with a person over a meal, around an Expo booth, or walking in the warm California sunshine that cannot be replicated online.

I had better stop writing now and prepare for my next session. Whether you are here with me, or reading this from somewhere else in the world, I hope you have a chance to learn something new about IBM i today. And I hope you also have a chance to spend some time with friends. Both pursuits are well worth your time.

 

Twitter: #ibmi, #commonug #PureSystems @Steve_Will_IBMi