The new release gives developers the tools to write rich Internet applications for multiple browsers and devices, including smartphones.

Written by Chris Smith

Most IBM i developers and system administrators have been following the evolution of so-called modernization and Web-enablement technology for quite some time now, and one of their leading frustrations reportedly has come from network issues caused by firewalls blocking ports required by non-Web connections like Telnet and VPN.

There are varying payoff horizons for employing such a tool, ranging from short- to long-term benefits.

Written by David Brault

Editor's note: This article introduces the LANSA white paper "System i Modernization Survival Guide," which is available free at the MC White Paper Center.

Many organizations were caught off guard by software development's rapid evolution over the last decade. The evolution had many catalysts: the mass adoption of the Internet; requirements for better visibility into accounting practices; company acquisitions and mergers; and a host of government, industry, and technology mandates. For IT departments to keep up with the rapid change in technology, they purchased tactical solutions that combated business requirements as they surfaced. Now, a decade later, they struggle to manage their technology collection, and it's making them counter-productive.

With IBM's continued support, the community of EGL users appears to be slowly growing.

Written by Chris Smith

There are numerous modernization approaches available today and a number of new products from vendors that can make life easier for those who wish to Web-enable their green-screen applications. With the economy still in an unsteady recovery, however, it would seem to make sense to first try a low-cost approach before moving up to more expensive solutions.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is being touted as a panacea for enterprises with application overloads. For the IBM i, although SOA has its uses, the technology isn't for everyone.

Written by John Ghrist

SOA is an idea that is still struggling to emerge from a cloud of hype. In principle, it sounds great. Instead of a mass of applications that handle different aspects of an enterprise's business operations, where any software modification might have numerous unintended consequences, SOA seems to promise a menu-like assortment of services for getting things done.

In the i community, EGL's biggest strength may be simply that EGL does i better than anyone, and that makes it the integration technology of choice.

Written by Joe Pluta

Over the past couple of years, I've talked quite a bit about Enterprise Generation Language (EGL) and its capabilities as a business development language. I started out as a skeptic, but I gradually came to admire the philosophy of the tool: let the business application developer focus on the business, not the technical minutiae. In today's article, I'll explain how that philosophy allows you to leverage your most important and valuable asset: your business developers.

Learn how to write simple programs in IronPython and access .NET libraries with IronPython code.

By Joydip Kanjilal

IronPython, an open-source project at CodePlex, is the latest implementation of the Python programming language in the managed environment of the Microsoft .NET framework. In IronPython, you can use all .NET libraries while writing your Python language-style code. This article examines this new offering's features and benefits. It also discusses how you can easily integrate your Python code into .NET applications and how you can call .NET libraries from your IronPython code, while still leveraging the benefits of .NET's managed platform.

This book speaks directly to the thousands of IBM i programmers who develop in RPG, COBOL, CL, and DDS every day.

By Susan Gantner

Whether you're an RSE neophyte, an experienced RSE user, or still a dyed-in-the-wool SEU user wondering if there's a better way, you should read this book. It does an excellent job of covering the basics while still offering many tips and details beyond the basics that even I didn't know--despite having used RSE for years.

The authors--Don Yantzi and Nazmin Haji--are both part of the IBM development team that produces RSE, so it's hard to find anyone who knows the toolset better.

Developing multi-tiered software has become ever easier, but deploying it is a challenge that IBM Express Runtime was designed to meet.

By Joe Pluta

There are two kinds of developers in the world. One kind loves to cobble together a powerful amalgam of the best-of-breed technologies, learning the arcane features of each type and mastering the subtle interactions between them. The other focuses more on the business logic and sees the enabling technologies as a means to an end. That may be a little bit of an oversimplification, but for the developer who has more deadlines than downtime, the IBM Express Runtime was designed to help deliver the goods.