Category: Technical Articles
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Do I need to pay for Java?
Over the last few months, you may have noticed some rather confusing messages about the need to pay for Java. They imply that you need to pay to use Java if you are a business, and in some cases this will be true but in most cases you will NOT need to pay a penny.…
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Open Source Package Management
To follow on from my PowerWire Open Source on IBM i theme, this time I would like to run through Open Source Package Management with you all. So, what is Package Management? Firstly, let us step back and run through how we typically manage our software on the IBM i. If we had a requirement…
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Removing the storage bottleneck
This article is sponsored by Northdoor. The theoretical peak performance of IBM® Power Systems™ servers continues to rise rapidly with each new generation of hardware, but any system is only as good as its weakest element. In many organisations, end-to-end performance is throttled by bottlenecks in data storage and retrieval. If you can’t get data…
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Selling your expertise
You’re brought in to help because you know something that they don’t. You’ve got a world of experience and an old-school, belts-and-braces approach that makes it much less of a risk for a project if the company has you around. Now, the very fact that—to them—you’re an expert (don’t argue!), means that you can very…
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Node is Weird!
Firstly, thanks to all that attended my Node.js on IBM i workshop at the International i Power conference in June. Once again, a great event, meeting up with old friends and colleagues. Well done to the organisers. In this article I intended giving you a quick introduction to Node.js on our favourite server, the IBM…
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What JDK 9 means for your Terminal Emulator
What is JDK 9 and why does it matter? JDK stands for the Java Development Kit and the 9 refers to the version of it which was released on September 21st 2017. Oracle have stated that as JDK 9’s September release they will be removing support for the Java Applet and WebStart functionality, including the…
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Goldilocks and the RPG Developers
My partners, Jon Paris and Paul Tuohy, and I participated in i-UG’s i-Power event in 2016 and in similar events with i-UG in past years. It’s always great to meet and work with fellow IBM i developers in the UK. Traditional i-UG events offer a series of 45-minute sessions – but many of the detailed…
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A Netserver SMB Alternative?
Has your organisation been hit with the file sharing SMBv1 being disabled? Can you no longer share files on our servers IFS, as Microsoft is now blocking this protocol? Server Message Block (SMB) is the method used on the IBM i to share files and printers and commonly known on the IBM i as NetServer.…
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Don’t have a Meltdown over Spectre
You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard about the latest class of security vulnerabilities that have been found. These are known by the catchy names of Meltdown and Spectre. Now those of you who know me (and my love of patching servers) will be forgiven if you think this…
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RDi 9.6 – Push to Client Feature
To continue with my current stream of Rational Developer for i articles, in this issue, I will show how to use a feature that makes administration easier, I’m all for that! How many times over the years have we opened a PMR with IBM on RDi, or all the numerous names their development tool has…
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RDi 9.6 – Worth a Look?
Firstly, thank-you to all that attended my RDi session at the last UK iUG meeting. I hope you enjoyed it. At that presentation, I notified all that IBM were due to release Version 9.6 of RDi on the 16/11/2017, which replaces RDi version 9.5.1.2 It will require a new install and also there are new…
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Time to say bye bye to 7.1
“Alas, poor 7.1! I knew him, Horatio: an O/S of infinite Roch-est, of most excellent Resili-ancy: he hath borne me on his back-up a thousand times”. OK so I confess that is quite possibly the most painful Shakespeare kludge I have ever read too. If you can do better, please feel free to share with…