New Node.js WebSmart templates promote open-source desktop and mobile web application development on IBM i.

BCD Software LLC., a Quadrant Software company and an IBM i industry leader for 40 years, has announced the beta release of WebSmart for Node.js, the newest edition of their rapid web application development solution, WebSmart. The beta includes three new Node.js templates that jumpstart web and mobile application development for IBM i programmers by generating the initial HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

“We’re committed to supporting open-source development and see Node.js as a key technology in attracting new programmers to the IBM i,” says Marcel Sarrasin, Quadrant and BCD’s VP of Marketing. “We’ve leveraged WebSmart’s IDE and template-based approach with Node.js to provide another choice to rapidly develop web applications on IBM i.”

Released in 2009, Node.js is an open-source runtime environment for server-side web applications. These applications are lightweight, use server-side JavaScript and can run on platforms such as IBM i, Windows, Linux, IBM AIX and IBM System z. Several large companies, including Walmart, Paypal, LinkedIn, Netflix and Yahoo!, have adopted Node.js.

IBM announced IBM i support for Node.js in October, 2014. Node.js is growing in popularity and can not only help IBM i organizations attract new programmers as the traditional RPG hiring pool shrinks but also facilitate experienced developers as they absorb new technologies.

“IBM i continues to transform as a modern platform providing many open source options for modern applications and programming languages such as Node.js. It is exciting to see new solutions leveraging these new languages. Solutions such as this can help our customers transform their business applications by adopting the latest technologies,” says Tim Rowe, Business Architect for Business Architect for Application Development for IBM i.

Developers can use Node.js to develop web applications for ecommerce, payment processing, web services, chat and more. Node.js is also known for great performance, making it a particularly good fit for mobile applications.

WebSmart’s Node.js templates are built with Bootstrap, a responsive, mobile-friendly framework that uses a single code base for the desktop and mobile versions of an application. The templates also use Express, the most widely-used Node.js web framework. IBM’s Node.js Toolkit for IBM i enables developers to leverage RPG resources, such as RPG programs, using XMLSERVICE, the same back-end service used in the PHP Toolkit for IBM i.

BCD’s professional services team has experience with Node.js and first used it in 2011. They have a large team of full-time IBM i and BCD solution experts who can help with any aspect of an application modernization project, from discovery to development.

Get Started with WebSmart for Node.js

The beta version of WebSmart for Node.js, which is currently intended exclusively for development environments, will be available in early March. Organizations can request a release notification by visiting http://www.bcdsoftware.com/lp/websmart-node/websmart-node.php.

About WebSmart

WebSmart is the proven rapid IBM i and multi-platform desktop and mobile web application development tool that is used by hundreds of organizations. WebSmart's templates generate the initial user interface (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and server-side (PHP, RPG or JavaScript) code, producing fully-functioning desktop and mobile web applications. You can then customize your web applications for your business needs in the WebSmart IDE using HTML tools, syntax checking, code completion and more.

BCD is a Quadrant Software company and one of the most successful software organizations in the IBM i marketplace. The companies have a combined 60 years in the IBM i marketplace and have successfully helped thousands of organizations worldwide modernize. Together, Quadrant and BCD help customers maximize their investment in IBM i with their industry leading web development, mobilization, spool file beautification and document distribution tools. Their customers and partners around the world are leaders in key markets such as finance, manufacturing, transportation, retail and healthcare.
Quadrant and BCD are part of the Quadrant group of companies that also includes Netlert, which develops an Avaya call center performance analysis solution, and SoftBase, which provides application testing and tuning solutions for IBM's DB2 database utilizing the OS/390 and z/OS operating systems.
For more information, please visit http://www.bcdsoftware.com and http://www.quadrantsoftware.com.