What’s happening to our AS/400 world? Did you ever really believe IBM would put that Lotus Domino thing on the AS/400? How about NT? Did you really think IBM could pull off that coup by slipping NT on the IPCS? And that JVM whatchamacallit. Well, hey! IBM actually did it! Something definitely interesting is going on. This AS/400 machine doesn’t look so much like a legacy system anymore. It’s got all this new Internet stuff. Like firewalls. And Network Computers. And the Java programming language. It’s almost bizarre. The AS/400 is starting to look suspiciously like a state-of-the-art platform. Imagine: a business computer that is state of the art. Hmm. Very threatening to those of us who grew gray on green-screen programming. Very unsettling to our managers, who still have millions of projects for us to finish. Very, very...what? Exciting!

A few months ago, I ran an editorial that told programmers to begin transitioning their skills to Java programming. Believe me, that was a tactical mistake! Now, my email box runneth over! Are people angry with me? Do they disagree? No! Every email starts out the same: “I am an RPG programmer. How can I become a Java programmer? Where do I begin? Where do I start?”

A similar phenomenon has been happening with a different editorial I wrote. In that one, I described how Lotus Domino will transform the AS/400 from an interactive data processing machine into a full-blown collaborative work-flow server. Another tactical mistake! I’ve been shoveling out my email in-box for some time now. Managers are asking the same thing: “When will it happen? How can we make use of Domino? Where will we get the skills?”

I know W.C. Fields must have said somewhere, “Well, m’ boy, you’ve come to the right place!” To the traditional AS/400 green-screen programmer, we say, “Welcome home to Midrange Computing.” To the cutting-edge Domino and Java programmers, we say, “These are your new digs!” To the manager who needs to know how to leverage the company’s IT infrastructure, we say, “We’ll show you; we’ll teach you; we’ll listen with you and call them as we see them.” Yes, both IBM and Midrange Computing have been

quite busy. IBM is committed to making the AS/400 a world-class e-commerce Internet server, and we’re committed to bringing you the knowledge tools to do that, too. IBM is committed to supporting and enhancing its traditional OS/400 utilities and programming environments, and we’re right there with them, writing these pieces about that technology for you. IBM is on a roll! MC is following right behind—in fact, sometimes we’re out ahead, leading the charge. We’re in this for you, our AS/400 professional subscriber. So, through my tenure here as MC editor, I’m betting on you, the reader. You’ve evolved. We’ve evolved. The AS/400 has evolved, too. This new technology stuff—especially Java and Domino programming—may be a stretch for some of you. But we’ll get you there. And that old technology stuff—CL, RPG, OPM, client/server, VB—we’re covering those, too! We’ll give you the tips and techniques, and we’ll define the telling edge. Yes, the world of the AS/400 is changing, and we are changing with it.

So here’s my challenge to you, from MC editor to MC subscriber. Examine the materials in this magazine. We’ve got some great stuff, written by some of the best in the industry. Read it and learn it. What we’re covering in this issue and every issue is the heart of the AS/400. You have the future of your AS/400 professional careers in your hands this instant. It’s called Midrange Computing. Read it! Learn it! If, on the other hand, you truly believe these articles are irrelevant to your green-screen programming future or the issues that are facing your organization, if you think you’d be wiser to burn the book than to learn the new technologies, stand back and watch your careers fall in flames. Learn or burn. The choice is up to you. You’ve come a long way with Midrange Computing. There’s a long way still for us to travel. We’re here on the AS/400 for the duration. Are you?

Oh yeah! And keep jamming those emails. Tell me what you’re thinking. Click letters@ midrangecomputing.com.

Thomas M. Stockwell Editor in Chief

Thomas M. Stockwell is an independent IT analyst and writer. He is the former Editor in Chief of MC Press Online and Midrange Computing magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a programmer, systems engineer, IT director, industry analyst, author, speaker, consultant, and editor.  

 

Tom works from his home in the Napa Valley in California. He can be reached at ITincendiary.com.