Deep Thoughts with Richard Schoen

I recently found an interesting site that lists open source alternatives to several software products such as Veritas Backup Exec, Microsoft Office, Visio and more.  if your shop is considering using open source products or you’re just curious to learn more about the open source alternative products available, check out the Open Source Alternative site.

IBM’s announcement of the System i blades is probably one of the most compelling statements by IBM that the System i landscape is changing and I believe it’s for the better. 

First and foremost this is an improvement on the scenario we have used for the past ten years on the iSeries with the integrated xServer cards.  They have always been one step behind current technology and have been seen as a second class way of deploying Windows on the iSeries.  However I’ve used the integrated server cards for years and found them to be very stable.

From a practical perspective the new Blade cards will allow shops such as RJS to truly consolidate their iSeries, Windows, Linux or AIX environments all together in a shared chassis with shared disk and less cables.  RJS is planning to implement one of the Blade Centers internally to consolidate our own server sprawl. I’ll post updates as we move forward.

Some say this is the end of the System i.  I say it’s just the beginning of a new way of life where our System i servers live harmonious with all of the other servers in our shops. Only time will tell for sure. Goodbye to cable and server sprawl.

I can’t say I agree with the new name change to “i”, but read about the cool new Blade Server technology here at the IBM i web site.

I recently wrote an article for IBM Systems magazine that is the start of a series on using .Net with the AS/400, iSeries , System i or whatever you may call it today. This first article is an introduction to using .Net with the System i platform and will hopefully stimulate your interest in using the .Net technology with your System i to write compelling Windows and Web based applications. Click here to read the article. Your career depends on staying up with current technologies and .Net is a powerful technology for writing System i applications.

On August 2nd I did an online interview to talk about the “Paperless Office” with Bruce Teichman from All Covered a nationwide information technology (IT) services company focused solely on unique needs of small business. Bruce Teichman hosts a weekly radio show, “Technology Means Business”. The show streams live on the Internet at www.radiosandysprings.com each Thursday at 10 am.  Give it a listen to learn more about how document management technology can help companies achieve the concept of the “paperless office”.

I spent a few minutes with Bob Cozzi at the COMMON conference in Anaheim California in May describing our two new forms products: iPDF and iForms.  Check out the online interview here: http://www.systeminetwork.com/isnblogs/istudio

There are several technologies available today for developing iSeries desktop and web applications. RJS uses all of them including .Net, Java, PHP and RPG.  However based on my background as an RPG developer and my experiences in working with all of these technologies I have come to the conclusion that .Net is usually the best technology for iSeries developers to select when choosing to begin developing windows desktop or web based applications.

Here are my top ten reasons why .Net is a good way to go for iSeries developers learning how to modernize their iSeries applications or simply needing to write PC or web based applications for other business purposes:

1.) The VB.Net language syntax is very english-like and similar to RPG, so it’s easy to master. Java and PHP are more cryptic and can take up to a year to become proficient with. As an iSeries developer I found it much easier to grasp the english-like VB language than I did the C-style syntax of Java or the odd, unstructured style of PHP.

2.) Your first iSeries database application can be written within 30 minutes of learning how to use .Net. A windows or web based subfile-like inquiry/query application can be developed in less than 50 lines of code. Windows desktop applications are difficult to write in Java and cannot be written in PHP.

3.) Developers don’t need to initially know any HTML to get started with web application development. While I advocate knowing HTML because it’s the screen design syntax for web applications, Microsoft Visual Studio hides a lot of the complexities of HTML design so a developer beginning to develop web applications with Visual Studio can write initial code with little or no HTML design experience. If you use Java or PHP you will need to have a background in HTML design before getting started.

4.) Existing RPG and CL application code can be easily called and used within a windows or web application. This is one of the best features of Visual Studio. Existing business logic written for green screen applications can be re-used in Windows and Web applications.

5.) Web Services can be written very easily using .Net technology and with very little code.

6.) Developers can mix and match VB.Net, C# or Java syntax within a .Net application. Using open source tools such as IKVM, real Java code can be used in a .Net application as well.

7.) The Visual Studio 2005 Express development environment is FREE and very programmer friendly. Eclipse and WDSC which are the primary Java and PHP development environments can be difficult to master. Eclipse is FREE and WDSC is included as part of the iSeries software licensing.

8.) There are several free and commercially available visual custom controls to make windows and web applications look visually appealing. There are not as many visual controls available for Java or PHP.

9.) Web applications written in ASP.Net can be run natively on the iSeries via Apache Tomcat or Websphere/Websphere Portal Server. This is a great way to write code using Microsoft Visual Studio, yet run the compiled code on the iSeries.

10.) Once developers know VB syntax, they can also write macros for MS Word, Excel or any VB script enabled language making their newfound development skills useful in several programming situations.

Check out the news release for iForms, our new native Electronic Forms and Report Writing software. Business reporting, data exporting and electronic forms in a single native iSeries applicationhttp://www.rjssoftware.com/news/news-press/iforms-press-release

Check out the news release for iPDF, our new native PDF API for RPG developers
http://www.rjssoftware.com/news/news-press/ipdf-press-release

Well I just returned from the COMMON conference in Anaheim, CA last night. It’s amazing how fast a week can go by.  I want to thank all of the attendees who came to my .Net pre-conference session on Sunday.  We had seven hours of hands on with .Net and lots of good conversation. I also presented 3 sessions on using .Net with the iSeries. The introductory sessions were pretty well attended and I received some good feedback on how we can continue to expand the .Net for iSeries offerings within COMMON. Please make sure if you want to see more .Net classes at COMMON to submit your feedback to the COMMON board. I’m planning to submit a class on creating Web Services with .Net and also on how to generate class libraries (similar to RPG service programs) for .Net.  Email me directly if there are other .Net topic areas you would like to see covered at COMMON.  Also if you want to present or co-present at COMMON, please email me directly.  I would be happy to share the .Net load at the next conference.  Make sure to check out the COMMON web site for info on the Fall all day session conference in Columbus or the Spring 2008 conference in Nashville at the Opryland hotel.

Check out Bob Cozzi’s iSeries TV site for a Podcast done at the 19th Annual Omni Technical Conference in Chicago. This month, Bob Cozzi previews the WDSC 7 announcement. Then he visits the 19th Annual OMNI User Tech Conference–the oldest and largest Chicagoland User Group. Includes interviews with Joe Pluta from Pluta Brothers, David Gibbs from Midrange.com, Help Systems and Derek Nordaune of RJS Software Systems.  There’s also some footage from Randall Munson’s RJS sponsored presentation entitled: Discover the Magic of System i.