Comments on: Future of AS400 ??

By: toddn2000

toddn2000 — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:15:08 +0000

The AS/400 or i-Series or Powerxx whatever…will be around for a while.. The systems are always improving.
From the old days of RPG I and RPG II to what we have now is worlds apart.

With new features in the OS, RPG FREE,embedded SQL and built in functions to handle XML processing and webservices it is still a great system. It also has some of the best security handling.

I started out on a S/38 back in 1984 and am always finding new ways to improve code and learn new features if anything learning more will alway be a plus but no need to drop evervthing and change career paths.

By: tomliotta

tomliotta — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 05:57:47 +0000

is it good for future career

Nobody knows what is good for your future career. Nobody knows what’s good for their own future career.

If you’re good at what you do, that is what’s good for your career.

The AS/400 product line is well designed. Fundamental quality has kept it in use and will keep it in use. It’s a server system that scales the range from small PC servers well into the mainframe class. The top end has only gotten larger. Servers are going to be around for a long time to come. It’s engineered for business applications. And business will be around for a long time to come. (If it isn’t, you have bigger things to worry about for your career.)

But nobody knows the future path of an individual. If you focus on your own quality, you can go as far as you want with the AS/400 line. Or any other line.

You’re the only one who knows how good you are or how good you can be.

Tom

By: shridevi

shridevi — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:22:52 +0000

Hi, I am a mainframe developer with 1.5 years. Is it good to learn as400 and RPGIV since i Have experinced in mainframes is it good for future career, Could anyone help me

By: tomliotta

tomliotta — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:51:42 +0000

There is no such thing as CICS on the iseries platform…

You might not have CICS on your system, but it can indeed be ordered and installed. Even if not installed, evidence can be seen on systems that have ‘previous compiler’ support for CL. Run WRKOBJ *ALL/STRCICS to see an example of a Start CICS command.

Tom

By: mirjilon

mirjilon — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:42:12 +0000

First and foremost the Iseries is not going away. I have been a midrange programmer for almost 30 years and there are more ways to develop code on this platform than just RPG and COBOL (There is no such thing as CICS on the iseries platform which really makes me wonder about this “star” programmer from India)

By: ankit2002

ankit2002 — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:39:50 +0000

Hey…
IBM i is the new name of AS 400.For you information IBM is going to launch its new version in next year April.So u can imagine there is no need to worry about the future of IBM i.

I am also listening that this technology will not remain anymore.Believe me that the day will never come because no can replace such a robust System.

By: muralis

muralis — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:13:08 +0000

Hi, I’m working with IBM i (AS400) from 1997 until now. During 2000 dot com issue, everyone told AS400 dead, RPG dead, people started moving out of this and joing Java courses, I did not do instead I started learning Java but continue working with IBM i platform, slowing RPG IV came in and then now i use java objects in RPG and we run JAVA web services on IBM i and RPG as core business processors, we call RPG from windows Java application., we also got xml facilities now in RPG IV and ile concepts and also I code only in FREE format, using all ILE / RPG IV and Java , web sphere application servers.. we recently implemented proof of concept web services using WAS6.0 and also using tomcat , running tomcat on windows and was60 on ibm i, the performance was amazing with WAS6.0. In this proof of concept, i develeped a java applet app and posted SOAP requests to Java web services running on IBM i… and continue polling to record the service times, it is really amazing ….. I love IBM i and it is still out there and will be… I also worked in different countries with IBM i platform for different projects.. IBM i rocks…!!!

Murali.

By: teandy

teandy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:32:33 +0000

We just merged with another company to form a new company. Just prior to the merger the company we merged with kicked SAP and its 12 consultants to the curb in favor of a new i5. So who’s to say that SAP is that much safer?

You have only been with the company for 2.5 years. I don’t know if this is the extent of your IT experience or not, but is sounds to me like this is more of a problem with an ignorant CIO who has neither the knowledge of, nor the desire to learn how much more cost effective the i5 is over an SAP, Oracle or wintel solution.

I’m with Splat on this. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that the AS/400 was dead or that IBM was not going to enhance RPG, I could have retired to an island somewhere in the South Pacific 10 years ago!

If your AS/400 is not being upgraded, it is due to poor management, not IBM.

By: splat

splat — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:06:25 +0000

I’ve worked on every IBM midrange machine with the exception of the S/32. I constantly hear about the death of the (take your pick) hardware, operating system, programming language (I wish I had a penny for every time someone told me RPG was dead). Oddly enough, it seems to still be around.

I don’t have any suggestions beyond saying that if you think the platform is dead, move on to something else.

BTW, don’t confuse your management’s refusal or inability to keep up with developments with IBM’s efforts.

By: oldsysadmin

oldsysadmin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:00:03 +0000

The idea comes from executives reading magazines on flights!