Alan Seiden

RPG APIs: A Modernization Treasure

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K3SWhen modernizing applications, we help organizations select a software architecture that’s flexible, yet can last many years.

A recent article about our client K3S got our attention. Author Alex Woodie wrote that the inventory forecasting software vendor had updated their package with an attractive web-based interface using PHP, while adapting their existing RPG code into APIs written in RPG.

But I knew there was more to this story. So I asked King Harrison IV—K3S’s executive vice president, friend, and founding member of Club Seiden— to elaborate on their choice of RPG APIs.

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Alan Seiden

Migrating from Zend Framework 1 (ZF1) to Newer PHP Frameworks

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Over the last few years, we’ve been helping clients upgrade the venerable Zend Framework 1 (ZF1) to newer PHP frameworks. The effort is necessary but not trivial. To help you succeed with your migration, here are some suggestions.

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Alan Seiden

Is Your Zend Server Environment Showing Its Age?

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Zend ServerThis week marked our 6th anniversary, evolving from “just Alan” to the amazing team at Seiden Group.

This milestone got me wondering…with as much change as we’ve seen over the past six years with PHP and Zend Server, how many PHP environments out there are four, five, or six or more years old?
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Alan Seiden

UX Challenge: What Would You Do?

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Sometimes a fresh perspective makes all the difference.

I recently needed to cancel a WebEx meeting. I clicked the menu item to cancel the meeting and was presented with this dialog box:

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Stephanie Rabbani

Installing Composer on IBM i

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Composer, a tool to manage dependencies in PHP applicationsThe open source Composer tool, which manages PHP project dependencies, has become standard equipment for modern PHP. New to this tool? I recommend this introduction to Composer.

Composer automatically installs or updates required components, known as dependencies, and any others required by those initial components. The required components are defined by the developer in an easy-to-read JSON-formatted text file.

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Joshua Hall

Add apachectl to IBM i for Controlling Apache Web Instances

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sobo.redHere at Seiden Group, we seek ways to make IBM i systems more congenial for developers accustomed to other platforms, such as Linux.

Developers coming from a non-IBM i background know how to run the apachectl command to start, restart, and end an Apache web server instance. Instead of apachectl, however, IBM i provides a web-based graphical interface and the commands STRTCPSVR and ENDTCPSVR (be sure to prompt those for parameters using F4).

To supply the “missing” apachectl command for IBM i, I have written a BASH shell script that simulates apachectl on IBM i.

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Stephanie Rabbani

Steph’s Sanity Checks for Programmers

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Stephanie RabbiniYou’re sure you fixed that last bug, but the app is still malfunctioning. You’re racking your brain for the cause. The more you know about programming, the more likely you are to over-think the problem.

I’ve been there. My Seiden Group colleagues have taken to calling me their “CTO” (Chief Troubleshooting Officer), for my debugging skills.

Before you wear yourself out seeking obscure bugs, try these sanity checks:

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Alan Seiden

PHP Toolkit for IBM i Conversion Tips

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PHP Toolkit for IBM iRecently we’ve heard from several clients seeking help with Zend Server upgrades. While generally straightforward, upgrades can require an extra step with very old versions of Zend Server. “Old” means Zend Core or Zend Server 5.1 or earlier. Upgrades from these old versions may require a migration from Easycom to the “new” PHP to IBM i toolkit.

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Alan Seiden

Resources for Upgrading to PHP 7 on IBM i

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Editor’s Note: The information in this article is useful for historical context but is now out of date. We currently recommend Seiden PHP+ as the most reliable PHP distribution for IBM i.

PHP 7 Zend ServerNow that speedy PHP 7 is available for IBM i, we’ve been helping clients upgrade to this long-awaited release. Here are some resources for performing this popular upgrade.

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Alan Seiden

Learning the Latest on Laravel

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Laravel at Zendcon

L to R: Alan, Jorge Diaz, and Laravel’s creator Taylor Otwell at Zendcon 2016

Seiden Group colleague Josh Hall and I will attend Laracon, the Laravel conference, in NYC on July 25-26, 2017. Getting these coveted tickets required persistence — they sold out quickly!

Laravel is a hot PHP framework with a loyal community. We’ve been building our Laravel practice and look forward to sharing the latest tips and techniques with our clients.

According to creator Taylor Otwell, the first commercial installation of Laravel was on an IBM i system!

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