Deep Thoughts with Richard Schoen

I found myself needing to use some Javascript this week and learned that my Javascripting skills were a little rusty.  During my travels on the web I found the following site that had some nice techniques.  Bookmark Javascripter.net as a Javascripting resource.�

Well, we completed our first round of .Net for iSeries Developers training after our initial class in Minneapolis and the second class in Phoenix wrapped up this week. It was fun to see our class attendees open their eyes to the new world of .Net programming and how .Net can be used to enhance their existing iSeries application code without re-writing existing iSeries business logic. Almost every customer we talk to is doing something or has plans to do something with .Net technology. As iSeries developers, learning .Net technology can make us much more valuable by having RPG skills, .Net skills and business analysis skills. Whether you learn .Net from RJS and High Monkey or on your own, make sure you take a look at how this technology can help you organization bring existing iSeries applications to the desktop or web without using the green screen.

I just spent my first day using the new Websphere Development Studio Client V7.0. The product was released this week and we promptly downloaded and installed it for testing. My biggest beef against using WDSC previously was the startup time of the development environment.  I would start the environment and walk away for 20 minutes while it started up.  The new environment is based on Eclipse 3.2 so the startup time has been dramatically improved. If you’re an iSeries RPG or Java developer you simply have to make the move to this new version as soon as possible.  I just may have to give up SEU in the near future.  Well…….maybe

OK, I don’t usually hang out at sites such as youtube, but……. I was down at my inlaws a few weeks back and was reading the local Madison, WI newspaper and it talked about a local film producer doing a series of shorts on Chad Vader.  If you grew up in the Star Wars generation as I did, you will probably find these funny.  If not, feel free to not watch Chad Vader.

If you’re interested in learning more about .Net and the iSeries, think about attending the RJS - High Monkey sponsored .Net class in Mpls on March 14-16 or in Phoenix Arizona on March 21-23.  Click here to view more info on the 3-day intensive hands on class.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how .Net can be used to modernize iSeries applications, check out the following Podcast at iSeries Network.  Virgill Carroll talks with Wayne Madden about why .Net is relevent to all iSeries shops.

Happy New Year.  Welcome to 2007.

RJS will be adding a .Net for iSeries Developers class to our education offerings for 2007. Recognizing the growing need for iSeries developers to know languages other than RPG, we have put together a one day class offering we will be doing at a couple of user group venues including the Omni User Conference (Feb 26th - 27th) and COMMON (April 29th - May 2nd) in Anaheim California. This will be a VB.Net and ASP.Net jumpstart class for iSeries developers.

We will follow this one day user group offering with a 3-day commercial seminar entitled “.Net for iSeries”.  Our goal will be to focus on real world things you can accomplish quickly with .Net as an iSeries developer. The class will be an intense 3-day learning experience after which RPG developers can go back to the office and begin using what thay have learned right away. Our .Net for iSeries classes will help you to continue building value into your iSeries investment.

To enhance the classroom offerings, we have begun offering commercial consulting and training services to help our customers jump start their .Net, RPG and/or Java development projects. We will also be offering classes in other Microsoft and IBM technologies such as Lotus Domino. Feel free to contact us if you have an iSeries, .Net or Java project in mind or if you would like to discuss a custom class for your development team.

I participated in a webcast with Mainsoft last week. The RJS team used the Mainsoft Visual Mainwin for J2EE Portal Edition product to create a Websphere Portlet for our WebDocs iSeries edition software. The main benefit of using Mainsoft’s product is allowing developers to use ASP.Net and VB.Net code and run the compiled applications on Websphere Portal Server, Websphere Application Server or Apache Tomcat. No Java required. Check this out and let me know what you think. Here’s the web cast link: http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/3236_registration

Last year in one of my posts I discussed the possibility of getting Carpal Thumb from a Blackberry device. I read yesterday that this phenomenon has been formally named “Blackberry Thumb”. If you don’t believe me, read more. http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/99/105403.htm?pagenumber=1

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