A Turning Point for Open Source on IBM i
IBM i is quickly becoming a fertile platform for open-source innovation, thanks to recent advancements.
These are exciting times for IBM i! As we celebrate the platform’s rich 30-year history, it’s exhilarating to look ahead at what’s yet to come. What will the next transformation bring?
After all, transformation is one thing IBM i excels at. Take RPG, for instance: The programming language has evolved more substantially than any other language in existence. Beyond that, the OS has continuously provided new capabilities over time, like virtualization, data analytics, web services and even new hardware. So, what’s next? Without a doubt, open source is part of that answer.
A Revolution in Open Source
It has been over a decade since Zend Server brought a powerful and reliable PHP solution to IBM i. That, in my opinion, was one of the most significant points in the platform’s history. The growth of PHP has been sensational for the platform, but more than anything, it foretells a thrilling time ahead. PHP continues to advance via new features in the language, as well as the supporting tools, frameworks and solutions. Since its launch, Ruby, Python and Node.js have joined the fun. There’s no telling how much innovation will be happening in the future.
The open-source ecosystem on IBM i has never been so vibrant. Recent enhancements in open-source technology are game changers. This spring, IBM delivered hundreds of open-source packages spanning API libraries, tools and languages. And, getting started couldn’t be easier. In just five or 10 minutes, a whole stack of open-source technology can be loaded on and ready to use.
A driving force behind the latest growth spurt is related to how open-source technology is delivered. It’s no longer bound to the constraints of PTFs. Instead, the software is delivered as RPM packages. This change not only makes the build and delivery of open source more reliable, but it also provides an important alignment with AIX* and Linux* communities.
Plus, IBM i development teams have been collaborating closely with Rogue Wave, IBM runtimes teams, AIX teams and the greater open-source community. As a result, this new wave of deliveries works more seamlessly than ever before. For example, tons of add-on modules for the various languages can be installed with surprisingly little effort. Considering the popularity of new languages, this is noteworthy. Node.js alone has over 650,000 packages available. In the future, expect to see continued growth in this area.
IBM i is quickly becoming a fertile platform for open-source innovation. Inevitably, that will mean unprecedented capability. As the IBM i 30th anniversary campaign says, we’re just getting started!