Robert Swanson has worked as a developer on IBM i (and its predecessors of various names) since 1992, with an early emphasis on extending legacy ERP functionality beyond traditional office settings and into shop floor environments, where computer terminals tended to be less conventional.
With a background in industrial engineering, Rob spent many years championing the concept of weaning manufacturing and distribution operations from "off-line" reports and spreadsheets to real-time IBM i-based applications that enabled plant workers to interact electronically with office personnel. As the web world evolved and matured, the medium of choice has gradually switched from green-screen programs to browser-based applications.
Now a Senior Partner at CNX Corporation in Chicago, Rob works as an advocate for introducing Web 2.0-style desktop and mobile apps to IBM i shops, not only to increase user productivity but to bolster the image of IBM i as a world-class application server. CNX is behind the Valence Web Framework for IBM i, available for free download to the IBM i community as a tool for RPG programmers to interface their programs with Ext JS and Sencha Touch-based front ends.