What Makes CICS, a Mixed Language Application Server, So Special?
August 10, 2020
CICS® has been around since 1969 and still continues to flourish as a mixed language application server today. Primarily running on mainframes, also known as an IBM Z®, CICS does run in limited forms on other platforms, as well. As an application server, it is used to host applications that can be written in several […]
ArticlesModernization Carries Varied Meanings for Different People
March 23, 2020
When the IBM z15 was announced I couldn’t wait to read the information about the advancements and changes that we would all see. I quickly read about System Recovery Boost, integrated zEDC compression, standard rack space frame, double cache density on each chip, etc. The modern mainframe; the fastest, most resilient and high availability, commercially-available […]
ArticlesClosing the COBOL Programming Skills Gap
October 25, 2019
The backbone of today’s electronic commerce is COBOL on an IBM Z computing platform. There are 240 billion lines of COBOL in operation, and another 5 billion new lines are added each year. $3 trillion of commercial transactions are processed by COBOL applications each day. COBOL is what business runs on. Some reports indicate that […]
ArticlesA Closer Look at the 2018 Master the Mainframe Winners
May 1, 2019
For a decade and a half, students from around the world have been taking part in IBM’s annual Master the Mainframe competition. Designed as an introduction to the world of z/OS programming, the contest requires no prior knowledge or skills, and leads participants from their first taste of the UI and the concepts that underpin […]
ArticlesThree Innovative Middleware Solutions
December 17, 2018
This week, I am finishing up this three-part series on middleware. In the first post in the series, I discussed the roots of middleware in what I referenced as the real history of middleware, with the real roots being in centralized enterprise systems. Last week, I discussed the taxonomy and market size of middleware. This […]
IBM z14 Model ZR1 Is Ready for Cloud, Pervasive Encryption and More
May 1, 2018
How can medium-sized businesses solve the conundrum of scaling for business growth with ease and confidence? The answer is the latest lean, mean and super fast player in the IBM Z* product line, the IBM z14* Model ZR1. It hits the field of play with a complete new physical system design. In a world where […]
ArticlesIBM Cloud Private With IBM Z Helps Clients Reap the Benefits of Cloud
March 1, 2018
Enterprises are eager to adopt cloud computing to gain its many benefits including elasticity, scaling of resources, lower cost and ease of use. But concerns about latency, security and compliance make some enterprises reluctant to wholeheartedly adopt cloud. Knowing this, IBM has created IBM Cloud Private to provide a secure cloud platform that works seamlessly […]
ArticlesThings They Didn’t Teach Me in School: Polyglot
October 2, 2017
Over the years, you’ve probably spent a lot of time reading and studying computer topics. I have attended many classes and even taught a few and never came across the topics of polyglot persistence and programming. If somebody taught me about polyglot anything, I am sure that I would have remembered it. These are topics, […]
ArticlesJava on z Systems Delivers Portability, Security and Other Benefits
July 24, 2017
As people expect quick, secure transactions available any time, anywhere, modernization and innovation on the mainframe are necessary to meet these needs. Java* is at the heart of such transformation. An IDC study, “The Business Value of the Connected Mainframe for Digital Transformation” (ibm.co/2pf8asQ), places Java at the center of both modernization and innovation on […]
ArticlesTrend Watch: Java
April 17, 2017
This is the ninth post in a multi-part series with a focus on trends that are interesting and important, specifically in enterprise computing. I’ll continue my point-in-time analysis with a focus on the Java programming language. Remember when Java was new? Early Java The Java programming language has been around for decades so it is […]