Reliable. Versatile. Fast. The terms we use to describe modern RPG applications apply to PHP as well. That’s why PHP remains a top choice to supplement RPG for IBM i projects involving the web, APIs, and high-volume transactions.
One sterling example is Curbstone’s PCI-validated payment solution, which uses PHP-based portals to process over 8 billion dollars in credit card payments annually with 99.99% uptime availability.
On December 5, 2023, Alan joins fellow IBM Champions Koen Decorte and Charles Guarino at IBM France for a day-long seminar and networking event focused on IBM i modernization, AI, Business Intelligence (BI), and cyber resilience.
Sponsored by IBM and CD-Invest, the seminar agenda balances educational sessions with opportunities to ask questions and have informal discussions with the presenters and fellow attendees.
The Toronto User Group recently invited Alan to speak with them about how to implement secure, flexible APIs to connect IBM i applications to other systems.
Using several real-world code examples written in various free tools and languages—including RPG, PHP, Python, and Node.js—Alan demonstrated how others send and receive data safely using their favorite language paired with IBM i business logic. This video contains the details.
Earlier this week we shared how one of our clients successfully transitioned the maintenance of an important System 36-era application from busy RPG developers to a younger web developer interested in learning RPG. The heart of their strategy? Converting their fixed-format RPG code to more modular RPG Free Form.
At the same time, Susan Gantner was presenting a session on using free-form RPG with the clear message that moving to RPG Free Form is critical to bringing new talent to IBM i development.
Our client “Bruce” was discussing the RPG talent shortfall and how to get the next generation on board to write and maintain legacy RPG code dating back to the 1980s in a recent iChime meeting.
Bruce had a System 36 manufacturing application written in fixed-format RPG. The system was solid and users were satisfied. But Bruce knew that he had to modernize the code for ease of maintenance and to expand the developer talent pool for future applications.
I’ve admired Patrick Behr’s work in the IBM i community for many years. One of the most talented IBM i developers I know, he draws on an impressively broad range of skills to build future-minded solutions to today’s business challenges.
That’s why I’m delighted to announce that Patrick Behr has officially joined Seiden Group’s team of technical consultants. In addition to his excellent technical and business skills, his commitment to mentoring and advocating for the IBM i community make him the perfect fit for our team.
Read more →
Node.js has joined other popular IBM i open-source technologies, such as PHP and Python, for web application and API development. A server-side runtime for JavaScript, Node.js can run both on IBM i and on other platforms such as Linux.
The Node.js iToolkit lets you leverage your company’s investment in RPG and COBOL business logic while developing front ends and APIs with Node.js. As with Node.js itself, iToolkit can run on your IBM i or can connect to IBM i from your PC or an external web server.
This post explains how to install Node.js and its iToolkit on your IBM i, then use iToolkit to call an RPG service program.
“The order entry app is hanging again!” Nobody wins when your system is slow or stuck.
Find out how the best IBM i teams keep their users happy and productive with snappy PHP applications. In this video, Alan shares tips to optimize PHP websites and APIs for improved speed and stability. He explains why newer PHP versions are inherently faster and offer smoother migrations. He also details how to use Apache’s mod_deflate, look for network issues and bots, manage session clean-up, prepare for business growth, improve PHP Db2 performance, profile your application, and much more.
This guide will outline writing your first Node.js application. Node.js is a packaged version of the V8 Javascript engine, created by Google and shipped in Chromium. Although Node.js is cross-platform, specific tips for IBM i are given in section 8.
Heidi Schmidt draws on science to solve one of the biggest issues facing CIOs today—how to transfer knowledge of core business applications and processes to younger developers, while fostering new skills that lead to innovation.
At the CIO Summit in Dallas, March 23, 2020, Heidi will share her experience with collaborative learning and other techniques that aid generational change and find untapped potential within development teams.