I usually just lurk in here these days, but this post really brings up a point that is interesting to me, and fits well with multiple decades of experience.
No systems are simple to integrate with another system. Period.
Just doesn't happen, there are always glitches and annoying problems. Guaranteed. Doesn't matter if it is Microsoft, IBM, Burroughs/Sperry/Loonisys, Linux, or some mix of all of them - you can bet there are going to be unexpected difficulties.
The iSeries is actually fairly easy to integrate in most cases, and use either as a server or as a data/processing source. IP connections are easy, as are everyday garden variety tasks like, for instance, reading in a CSV file. (Pretty much just an UNSTRING in COBOL, or a series of %SUBST and %SCAN calls in RPG. Utterly simple stuff.)
People that mistakenly dismiss an iSeries on the terms that it is "simpler" to integrate Windows/Oracle/Java/Whatever systems are fooling themselves. Not the the Whatever won't work, but it is never either easy or simple. Indeed, analysis might show that an iSeries would be indeed be simpler and more reliable in the first place.
-Paul
On Oct 17, 2013, at 03:11 PM, "Stone, Joel" <Joel.Stone@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well I will be the contrarian and throw in my 2 cents.
I think that you are asking the wrong question here.
Mgmt has decided to change platforms. That is probably a good thing. You are with a city government correct?
No matter how good or bad the iseries may be, the city gov would probably be best served with a platform that is running many other city government organizations.
The value of a particular platform is no longer how good is the database engine or how good is the hardware.
The value is much more determined by: how simple is the platform to integrate with other entities? For a city, it may be how easy is it to integrate with the county tax feeds; or how easy to integrate with residential water meters; or police dispatch software.
With iseries, you are re-inventing the wheel for each of these and it is enormously expensive. With a platform that is used by thousands of other cities, it is simply a matter of following a setup procedure from the vendor/county/state/fed.
And why would they care if 90% of companies are running iseries anyways? They are a city government. They are and should be concerned with what other CITIES are running, which is why they want to drop iseries (as stated by you, other cities apparently have moved off iseries as heard at city leadership conferences).
So if you want to keep working for the city and NOT be grouped with the legacy platform, then EMBRACE the search for the new system and be a cheerleader for it.
Otherwise when the plug is pulled on the old iseries, you may be in jeopardy of going out the door with it :(
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mike Wills
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 11:12 PM
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Where can I find a list of current IBM i companies?
Yes, another one of these threads... *sigh*
Upper management is saying "The AS/400 has served us well, but it is time
to move on". "It is dying." You have all seen this before. All of IT is
fighting this saying that it is more modern than you think, just that the
old green-screen is showing it's age. And budget and time prevents us from
"moderizing" more applications. We are trying to determine what is truly
the problem. Is it the applications? Is it the interface? Can we not
do something?
You don't need to preach to the choir here on benefits. We are putting
together just how integrated our entire enterprise is to all of the custom
applications we have written over the years on the system. I thought I
could add in one other factor into our arguments. What companies are using
the IBM i and what for? I know we can rattle off smaller banks and many
small to medium-sized companies. But I am looking for "wow they use that?"
Something Upper Management may have heard of. If you can share (on or off
list), I will pass along to my boss to pass to Upper Management.
And yes, I know the the AS/400 is really dead... it now called... um....
um.... screw it! It's the IBM Server!
--
Mike Wills
http://mikewills.me
Ph: 507-933-0880
midrange.com
