12
Tue, Nov
5 New Articles

Who's Using Java?

Java
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

At my Java seminars, I’m often asked, “Who’s using Java?” or “What AS/400 sites are using Java?” And I regularly get emails that ask the same questions. The best response to those queries is a URL of an IBM Web site that lists Java case studies by industry: www2.software.ibm.com/developer/casestudies.nsf/java-byindustry.

Are the companies listed at IBM’s site just your ordinary mom-and-pop shops? Sure. After all, somebody’s mom or pop has to own “little” companies such as John Deere, Mazda, and Wells Fargo. And not all the companies featured at IBM’s case study site are on the AS/400—one big advantage of Java is its cross-platform features—but many are. If you want to look at AS/400-specific examples, visit IBM’s Java Jems site (www.as400.ibm.com/developer/java/solutions/jjem.html). There you’ll find a list of AS/400-based Java sites, including Famous Footwear (www. famousfootwear.com), HMV Media Group (www.hmv.com), Intermediate GmbH&Co. (www.intermediate.de), Oriental Trading Company (www.oriental.com), and REALXpress. com (www.realxpress.com).

The names on IBM’s AS/400 Java Jem site certainly aren’t an exhaustive list. Take, for example, the omission of John Wiley & Sons (www.wiley.com). John Wiley & Sons is a publisher that is currently creating a Java-based order-entry system that will allow its customers to access its catalog and order in real time from its AS/400-based production systems. Another example is K&K Insurance Group (www.kandkinsurance.com). When K&K, an AS/400 shop, wanted to extend its business to the Internet, it used Java and decided to use its existing AS/400 as its Web server. K&K selected Java as the language because it wanted to be able to serve all of K&K’s potential Internet users regardless of platform and to leverage its existing AS/400 application and technology investments. Rich Morrison, senior vice president of technical services at K&K says, “The integration of AS/400 has been outstanding. We can run our core business applications on a single system without any problem.”

RPS, Inc. (www.shiprps.com)—now FedEx Ground Package System Inc.—a Fortune 500 company and a leading provider of transportation and logistics services, has recently standardized on Java as its primary application development environment. The cross-platform features of Java make sense for RPS, as its software systems use both RS/6000s and AS/400s.

Server-side Java

Most of the companies that are moving to Java are using the server-side features of Java. Erik Mickelson, a lead analyst in Famous Footwear’s IT group, for instance, said in IBM’s


case study, “Now instead of delivering Java client solutions, we do this application entirely through HTML and Java ServerPages on our AS/400s. This is great because it gives us almost unlimited portability.”

Wolfgang Trumler, chief executive officer of Intermediate GmbH&Co., also smitten with server-side Java, said to IBM, “We saw tremendous possibilities with WebSphere’s servlet technology, especially in conjunction with JDBC. We wrote a prototype and, with IBM’s help, validated it on AS/400.” Trumler was aware of the potential problems that often beset early adopters, but he says, “We took a risk early in our company history when we decided to build a server product based on AS/400, WebSphere, and Java. Our first year has been a big success as more customers are coming to us seeking our help in building e-business solutions. We look forward to doubling our size in the next year.”

Oriental Trading also reaped the rewards of an early adopter. Brad O-Dell, Oriental Trading Company’s director of e-commerce, told IBM, “We haven’t even marketed our Web site at all and we’re still finding that 50 percent of the site visitors are new customers. So, we’re picking up significant incremental business just by being on the Web.”

Leveraging Information

Most of the companies profiled at IBM’s AS/400 Java Gem site seem to have one thing in common: they all want to leverage their legacy data. Herb Vossler, manager of information systems at the City of Winnipeg Transit Department (www.winnipegtransit.com) told IBM, “It wasn’t until Java became available that we had the technology to deliver to the Web all the information that had been in our AS/400 systems for years.”

Welch’s Foods’ Deepak Mohapatra, manager of operations and networks, said to IBM: “We wanted to run our new Web-based application on our AS/400 because that’s where our company data resides, and we wanted a programming environment that gave us the flexibility to run portions of the application on any other platform as well. Java was the obvious answer. Our investment in Java is paying big dividends.”

Besides400.com

But the point here is the viability of Java in business environments, so why only look at AS/400 companies? If you take a gander at industry.java.sun.com/casestudies/, you’ll see even more sites than those promoted by IBM’s case studies. When you consider that the AS/400 is a great platform for hosting Java applications, and after you browse through a hundred or so of the case studies, you’ll realize that there is potential for any industry segment to move to Java. The thousands of companies profiled at Sun’s site didn’t sit back and wait to see what everyone else was going to do. They recognized the benefits of extending their businesses to the Internet and used their favorite platform for deployment.

Don Denoncourt is a senior technical editor for Midrange Computing. Don has six years of object-oriented design and programming experience and now considers himself to be a “Java evangelist.” He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


Don Denoncourt

Don Denoncourt is a freelance consultant. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


MC Press books written by Don Denoncourt available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

Java Application Strategies for iSeries and AS/400 Java Application Strategies for iSeries and AS/400
Explore the realities of using Java to develop real-world OS/400 applications.
List Price $89.00

Now On Sale

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: