The product of more than 100 people, the latest IBM Redbook dissects IBM i 7.1 into a thousand bite-sized pieces.

Written by Chris Smith

The Great Recession may have put a crimp in many people's lifestyles, but apparently it has only renewed interest in IBM i, according to Steve Will, chief architect for the venerable OS. According to Will, companies have been forced to reevaluate all their IT systems with an eye toward efficiency, and the numbers don't lie; IBM i on Power Systems delivers to companies a top-tier service at a very competitive price.

The answer to that question is right here!

Written by Roger E. Sanders

According to a 2003 survey conducted by Jenkins Group, Inc., a Michigan publishing services firm, 81 percent of Americans would like to write a book. And, although it appears that a similar study about writing articles has never been done, it's probably safe to say that a fairly large number of people have entertained the thought of writing for a magazine as well. There are certainly enough books on the subject to back up this theory, as well as support the 2003 survey's findings; a recent search for books on writing at Amazon.com returned an astonishing 149,911 hardback and paperback titles.

The answer to that question is right here!

Written by Roger Sanders

Shortly before my book DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration: Certification Study Guide went into a second printing (which was in May 2009), IBM invited me to help develop the DB2 9.7 for Linux UNIX, and Windows Database Administration (DBA) certification exam (Exam 541). Knowing that a new version of the DBA exam was about to be created, I contacted my editor and asked if we should update my DB2 9 DBA book to cover the upcoming exam. At that time, it was decided that such a revision would be too costly and time-consuming and that, instead, the next revision would take place after the DB2 10 exams were developed.

Efforts by Young i Professionals to find affordable access to the IBM i platform may bear fruit too late to engage today's young programmers and entrepreneurs.

Written by Chris Smith

I wrote back in 2007 that, after a 10-year absence from covering COMMON, it was like returning to a gathering of Vietnam War veterans because of all the gray heads in the crowd. Whether it was that column or just the sudden self-conscious industry realization that this generation of IBM i developers and RPG programmers would soon retire with relatively few people to follow in their footsteps, there was an awakening to the challenge. The point hit home with the shocking death of industry legend Al Barsa at none other venue than the Nashville COMMON conference. People in the IBM i community were witnessing the thinning herd right before their very eyes.

Did you offend a member of your professional "twibe" when you meant to tweet your sweet?

Written by Chris Smith

A "twibe" on Twitter, for the uninitiated, is a group of Twitter users interested in a common topic.

Next week is National Business Etiquette Week, and one staffing firm is marking the occasion by issuing a handy little pamphlet—Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age—revealing the dos and don'ts of social networking. All who already know the rules please stop reading now.

After three years of work, the COMMON Certification Steering Committee introduces a second certification exam while work continues on the curriculum.

Written by Chris Smith

When you think of what an education today can cost, those of us who emerged from college with degree in hand two or three decades ago and didn't have to spend the ensuing years paying down student debt were truly fortunate. In fact, the best gift my father ever gave me was my college education, which, despite a little grumbling at the time, was completely covered—as far as I know—out of the regular household budget. Thanks to a lot of hard work over the past three years by a team of dedicated COMMON volunteers, today's savvy IT professionals now have a cost-effective means of differentiating themselves from the rising sea of worldwide job seekers by earning a certification that stands to truly set them apart from the crowd.

OCEAN's 17th Annual Technical Conference focused on modernization and the need to keep abreast of new technologies.

Written by Chris Smith

Looking back on the recent OCEAN Technical Conference this summer, it's clear that PHP is one of the core technologies permeating changes in the IBM i world today. Of the 36 educational sessions, eight had direct references to PHP applications, frameworks, utilities, or middleware. Whether an oversight or a mere reflection of user interest, nothing related to EGL was included in the conference.

Jobs are a product of growth, so let's think about growing jobs.

Written by Chris Smith

In discussing whether or not Denmark was a type of prison, Hamlet asserted to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor actors in the Shakespearian play named after the famous protagonist, that it's all in the mind: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so," claimed Hamlet. With this perspective, we might assume that some people in the U.S. today might actually enjoy being out of work. It's all in how you look at it. Former IBMers are most likely not among this group of happy souls; future IBMers probably have much to look forward to, however.