Posted by Mike on Thursday, March 11, 2010
Flashback to the 1980s, when IBM is still shipping source code for big-iron internals, says this mainframe pilot fish.
“IBM discontinued supporting BTAM under CICS, but we had a major customer who communicated via CICS BTAM,” fish says.
Translation: The big customer uses the CICS transaction-processing system, and connects to it over telecommunication lines using the very old BTAM protocol — and IBM has just stopped supporting that approach. READ MORE
Editor’s note: Sharky is one of my favorite ComputerWorld features!
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Posted by Mike on Tuesday, March 9, 2010
I was at IBM at the time that IBM itself seemed to declare the death of the mainframe era. Analysts and companies alike claimed that the mainframe was dead, to be replaced by client/server computing. Around two and a half decades later, the mainframe is still around and it is still one of the largest and most profitable businesses IBM has. Far from being dead, it is now a showcase for some of the most cutting-edge technology density, energy management, and cooling technology in the market. READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Sunday, March 7, 2010
CA (CA), formerly known as Computer Associates, is making aggressive moves to join the growing trend of cloud computing, one that is fast transforming data centers.
Cloud computing marks a major shift for information technology managers. Users don’t load software onto their computers but instead access programs via the Web. It’s a way to cut the cost of managing on-site computer resources. READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Saturday, March 6, 2010
Mainframes are about 40 years old. And as you probably know, several years ago mainframes were written off as expensive, dated computers that were capable of running only large business applications. Mainframe go south, many said. Not anymore - thanks to Linux!
Linux on mainframes has evolved rapidly during the past 10 years - yes - 2010 is the 10th anniversary of Linux on the mainframe. READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Wednesday, March 3, 2010
IBM layoffs in the mid-Hudson numbered into the hundreds Tuesday, and by 9 p.m. the company had eliminated nearly 2,500 U.S. positions.
A source with knowledge of the layoffs said the bulk of the cuts would be over by Wednesday. Hardest-hit are IBM facilities in the South and West, according to the source. READ MORE
Editor’s note: Sad….
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Posted by Mike on
California got $66 million in federal funds in 2003, earmarked the money to upgrade its call center software and part of its antique, Cobol-based computerized payments system, yet failed to launch these upgrades until recently.
“Projects originally scheduled for completion in 2008 will not be completed until 2014,” said the Assembly report, blaming the delay on “errors in judgment … bad planning, multiple changes in procurement processes and contradictory decisions.” READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Although the mainframe revenue for IBM suffered in 2009 because of its upgrade cycle, the introduction of the new z10 System platform continues to be the best open system. Yes that is correct, the mainframe is the most open system available because it runs all types of workloads, of course the legacy standards of Assembler, COBOL, PL1 etc. but also C++, C#, java, PHP and the rest of the languages that run on UNIX and Windows boxes. READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Friday, February 26, 2010
(Getty Images)
A classified review of the United States Secret Service’s computer technology found that the agency’s computers were fully operational only 60 percent of the time because of outdated systems and a reliance on a computer mainframe that dates to the 1980s, according to Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.
“We have here a premiere law enforcement organization in our country which is responsible for the security of the president and the vice president and other officials of our government, and they have to have better IT than they have,” said Lieberman, who is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Thursday, February 25, 2010
As a young female working on the mainframe, I have found that there are very few opportunities to network and socialize with peers in the business because of the age difference. I think the chance to network, communicate and socialize for educational and professional reasons is very appealing for the zNextGen mainframers out there. When a new enterprise computing professional enters this workforce, it is encouraging to have this support group to share their own experiences with, and to learn from others’ experiences as well. It can be overwhelming to dive into a mainframe career, so building up a support system that includes mentors, friends and resources is very important. READ MORE
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Posted by Mike on Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Think of it this way: Even COBOL, that old mainframe language, still needs to be maintained now and then. And where are the IT workers who know how to do … READ MORE
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