Being able to create an application or service quickly has been a challenge on the System i until the advent of open-source software.
The user groups have been a vital segment of the IBM midrange community for many years, and there's none that I enjoy attending more than the annual OCEAN technical conference. This year, in the conference's six tracks and more than 35 sessions, developers learned a number of helpful tips for keeping their systems up to date and their internal customers happy.
The quote of the day at the conference came from Jon Paris of Partner400, who coached attendees on "how to say yes" when asked by an internal customer to put together "a little database" for a specific purpose. "You know that the Microsoft [folks] (he actually used an unflattering term that rhymes with 'meanies') always say 'yes,' " Paris said to the room full of IBM i programmers. "You always want to say 'yes' " when asked to help a department with their special IT requirements. But how can you always say "yes" when someone is asking for the impossible? The trick, notes Paris, is to use open-source software, which now easily runs on Power Systems and the System I, either on top of MySQL or natively as PHP. In his session "Fast, Free Apps," Paris mentioned the following free or open-source applications, frameworks, and information sources. I have tracked down their Web sites and descriptions to share them with readers of MC TNT Tips 'n Techniques. In alphabetical order, they include the following:
ATK Framework
ATK is a special-purpose framework written in PHP that is targeted at business applications. It allows you to build an application with very small amounts of code. Its focus on business features makes it an excellent framework for HRM, CRM, data management, and CMS types of applications. All you do is write business logic. ATK is not a component framework. If you are looking for a component framework, we recommend Zend Framework or Symfony.
CGIDEV2
Renaissance makes extensive use of the CGIDEV2 development toolset, which in turn is based around a service program called CGISRVPGM2. This simplifies development by hiding the complexities of the HTTP APIs from the developer and allows HTML to be constructed dynamically from one or more pieces of template HTML on the IFS. The CGI development toolset is open-source and provided free of charge. CoralTree Systems has announced the release of V5 of the Renaissance Framework, which is an open-source developer's platform for the creation and deployment of robust, scalable, and secure CGI-based applications on IBM's System i servers. Developed by CoralTree Systems Ltd, and freely available under the open-source MPL license V1.1, Renaissance is a framework of RPG ILE programs, service programs, JavaScript code, and HTML designed to enable developers to quickly and easily build high-quality browser-based intranet applications for the IBM System i server.
PowerEXT
powerEXT Application Framework is an open-source based middleware and application framework that enables IBM Power System i (AS/400, iSeries) users to embrace new technologies by evoking a sophisticated Web 2.0 rich Internet user interface for enterprise systems—Ext JS. powerEXT is a project that, based on LEAN/KAIZEN (Toyota TPS) methods of analysis of the programming process mixed with the development methods from SKUNK WORKS (Lockheed Martin), reduces programming of the most common processes. This is achieved by a layer of powerful APIs that automate most of the frequently performed programming processes in RPG ILE. It also offers a complete ready-to-run Ext JS Web 2.0 environment with system management, state-of-the-art server-side security, international language support, development tools, change management tools, program examples, and full documentation with coding examples.
Valence
Valence, from CNX Corp., provides RPG programmers everything necessary to create robust browser-based applications using the latest in Web 2.0 technology, according to CNX. Beyond reengineering existing green-screens, RPG programmers will find that the versatility of Valence's front-end components opens up opportunities to create new applications, providing functionality that wouldn't have even been possible before. Included with Valence is a tab-based portal to manage all these applications on a customizable navigation tree (along with all the requisite security features and controls), so the experience for the end-users is intuitive, elegant, and efficient, says CNX.
CGI_WRKDBF
www.easy400.net/cgiwrkdbf/html/page1.htm
This free open-source utility for the System i from easy400.net allows you to work with database files. It allows you to browse most database files with your favorite Internet browser. You can also add, update, and delete records.
Joomla
Joomla, which happens to be the platform on which MC Press Online is built, is an award-winning content management system (CMS) that enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease of use and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open-source solution that is freely available to everyone.
Mantis Helpdesk
sourceforge.net/projects/mhelpdesk/
Mantis Helpdesk provides a clean interface and a simple design to get your support questions answered. It provides an email-in script to allow end-users to email an address and automatically add the work order.
MediaWiki
www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a free software wiki package written in PHP, originally for use on Wikipedia. It is now used by several other projects of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation and by many other wikis, including the Web site that is home of MediaWiki.
Moodle
Moodle is a course management system (CMS), also known as a learning management system (LMS) or a virtual learning environment (VLE). It is a free Web application that educators and corporate trainers can use to create effective online learning sites. The Young i Professionals use Moodle to instruct new recruits on IBM i operations.
php Architect
This site includes news, articles, and reviews about PHP.
phpBB
phpBB is a free flat-forum bulletin board software solution that can be used to stay in touch with a group of people or can power an entire Web site. With extensive user-created modifications and styles databases containing hundreds of style and image packages to customize your board, you can create a very unique forum in minutes.
PmWiki
Somewhat easier to use than MediaWiki, PmWiki is a wiki-based system for collaborative creation and maintenance of Web sites. PmWiki pages look and act like normal Web pages, except they have an "edit" link that makes it easy to modify existing pages and add new pages into the Web site, using basic editing rules. You do not need to know or use any HTML or CSS. Page editing can be left open to the public or restricted to small groups of authors.
Xataface
Xataface is a flexible and shapeable skin that sits on top of MySQL, making it accessible to everyday users. It automatically generates the appropriate forms, lists, and menus for a user to interact with the database without having to know any SQL. It is a full-featured Web application framework and gives developers the flexibility to customize the features and behavior of their application via configuration files (using the simple INI-file syntax), templates, and plug-ins. A generic application with no customizations is completely functional, but the developer is free to customize as needed. Xataface is for Web developers and database administrators who would like to build a front-end for their MySQL database. However, the resulting applications are targeted at non-technical users.
Fast and Free
So that is the list of most, if not all, of the recommended free or open-source applications and Web sites that Jon Paris gave to attendees at his OCEAN conference presentation "Fast, Free Apps." Using these in conjunction with the System i, you should be able to greatly accelerate the delivery of applications for a variety of users who want something simple and don't want to wait forever to get it.
More 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.
TRY 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.
Forms 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.
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:
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.
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:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online