Talsco Weekly: Do you have a teachable moment, RPG developers?

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: 💻 IBM becomes its own AI client. ⌨️ IBM offers tech support for VS Code For i.
AI: 🌍 ChatGPT faces global restrictions.
Career: 💡RPG developers teachable moment.🔥 Motivation forms your life’s outcome.
Development: 💻 Secure your user profile from unauthorized job submissions. 🔧Native RPG file I/O tutorial.
Leadership: 🏃🏃‍♂️AI Showdown: ChatGPT-5 vs Claude 4.1 Performance Comparison. ⚔️ AI coding models face off. 🔮 Vibe coding promises, but does it deliver?
Security: 🔐 Can we afford not to invest in security?
Trends: Is the future Universal Access and No Vendor Lock-In? 🔓
Vendor: 🔄 IBM i duo modernizes supply chains.

IBM i Brief

💻 IBM becomes its own AI client

Acting as “Client Zero,” IBM is deploying AI to transform its operations across 275,000 employees worldwide.

Since early 2023, when CEO Arvind Krishna set the goal of becoming the world’s most productive company, AI has saved IBM employees 3.9 million hours.

Following Krishna’s “eliminate, simplify, automate” principle, IBM targets high-ROI workflows with a steering committee approach rather than scattered pilots, while addressing the broader challenge that only 25% of AI initiatives deliver expected ROI.

Learn more about IBM’s AI plan.

⌨️ IBM offers tech support for VS Code For i

IBM i shops that were on the fence about migrating from Rational Developer for i and adopting VS Code for RPG and COBOL development just received one big reason why they should bite the bullet and make the move: the launch of a new technical support package for Code for i from IBM.

Summary: IBM has officially launched enterprise-level technical support for the popular Code for i extension, now bundled in its P30 subscription tier. VS Code, used by 76% of developers according to Stack Overflow’s 2025 survey, has rapidly gained traction among IBM i shops since Liam Allan created Code for i in 2021.

The IBM i Development Pack support includes core extensions like RPGLE, COBOL, SQL languages, plus specialized tools like Source Orbit and IBM i Renderer, all backed by IBM’s three-tier support structure.

Heck, what is not to like:

Developers everywhere like that VS Code is Web-based, that it is open source, and that it is free – not to mention

⚙️ IBM slashes Power S1012 Mini prices by 12% amid Power S1112 delays.

Codename for Power S1012 Mini: “Bonnell”

IBM cut Power S1012 Mini base prices from $5,000 to $4,400 (12% savings), with up to 25% reductions on memory and processor features due to Power11 successor delays until 2026.

There is a lot of pricing information to unpack, you can find it here.

AI

🌍 ChatGPT faces global restrictions As of 2025, several nations have implemented outright bans or severe limitations on OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform. Countries like China, Russia, and Iran lead the restrictions due to concerns over data privacy, information control, and competition with domestic AI development. Other regions impose regulatory frameworks rather than complete bans, creating a fragmented global landscape for AI accessibility. These restrictions highlight the growing tension between technological advancement and national sovereignty in the AI era.

Career

💡 Have you had a teachable moment in your RPG career?

Every experienced developer has had those pivotal “aha!” moments where concepts suddenly click. These teachable moments often come when we’re struggling with motivation to tackle difficult technical challenges.

What motivates developers to get outside their comfort zone?

🔥 Motivation forms your life’s outcome

Here is a formula for motivation (Value × Probability × Return on Effort ÷ Distance) that explains why we struggle with hard tasks.

This framework explains why some embrace new tools, while others resist them.

By increasing perceived value, boosting confidence in success, raising effort returns, and bringing goals psychologically closer, we can overcome common obstacles like poor goal selection, low self-efficacy, procrastination, and distractibility.

This practical framework resolves contradictory advice about goal difficulty, habits vs. bursts, and discipline vs. enthusiasm.

Food for Thought 🤔

I’ve spoken with numerous RPG developers who join new companies only to encounter resistance from fellow RPG developers when attempting to introduce different approaches, methodologies, or tools.

The challenge of implementing change in established environments is remarkably common.

Could this (Value × Probability × Return on Effort ÷ Distance) framework be helpful in these situations?

What do you think?

Development

💻 Secure your user profile from unauthorized job submissions

Is possible to submit jobs to batch that will run for another user profile by using the User parameter in the Submit Job command, SBMJOB?

Yes.

🔧 RPG File I/O Series (Part 3): Native Power in Modern Systems Modern IBM i shops still rely on native RPG file I/O for performance, legacy integration, and transactional control. Even in an SQL-heavy world, knowing these native operations is essential foundational knowledge that makes you a more versatile developer. Grab your coffee and dive into the details.☕

Learning

🏃🏃‍♂️AI Showdown: ChatGPT-5 vs Claude 4.1 Performance Comparison

Here is a 15 - minute video demonstration of how to use various AI models side by side in a workflow. Each model is used for a separate task.

The models:

gpt-oss: models enable developers to run, customize, and deploy AI locally.
GPT-5: enhances enterprise AI, automation, and productivity for advanced business applications.
Claude Opus 4.1: excels in advanced coding, agentic tasks, and complex reasoning for enterprises.

See the demo.

⚔️ AI coding models face off

The battle for coding supremacy heats up between AI giants.

With ChatGPT 5 appealing to beginners with its affordability and versatility
And Claude Opus 4.1 attracts professionals seeking precision.

Leonardo Grigorio’s analysis compares these models across code quality, usability, and performance metrics, revealing that the “best” choice depends on individual needs rather than objective superiority.

The comparison helps developers identify which AI assistant aligns with their specific coding goals and workflow requirements.

💡 AI model diversity is a developer's advantage! Don't limit yourself to one AI solution - experiment with different models to discover which excels at specific tasks. The best AI strategy often combines multiple specialized tools rather than relying on a single general-purpose model.

🔮 Vibe coding promises but does it deliver?

The trendy “vibe coding” concept lets non-technical people create apps through intuitive interfaces powered by AI.

While it democratizes app creation for writers and other non-coders, the output often falls short under technical scrutiny.

Like an impressive facade with structural issues, these AI-generated solutions look good at first glance but reveal significant limitations when examined by experienced developers.

Security

🔐 Can we afford not to invest in security?

IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach report reveals concerning trends in AI security risks, with significant financial implications for unprepared organizations.

Key Security Considerations:

The report underscores a critical reality: with AI adoption accelerating, cybersecurity investments must keep pace. Organizations deploying AI without proper security protocols risk data breaches costing an average of $4.88 million - 30% higher than non-AI breaches.

Neglecting security assessments isn’t just risky—it’s potentially devastating to your business continuity and reputation.

When was your last comprehensive security audit or penetration test? If you can’t remember, you’re likely overdue.

The most effective security investments happen before a breach occurs, not after.

Trends

🔓Is the future Universal Access and No Vendor Lock-In?

AI-powered enterprise solutions, combined with modern APIs and BI tools, are dismantling traditional vendor lock-in constraints. Organizations can now integrate best-of-breed solutions seamlessly, creating flexible technology ecosystems that prioritize universal access and interoperability while maintaining governance and security standards.

This complements the IBM i story, in that this system you can integrate to anything, anywhere, at any time. The IBM i platform, if modernized in the right ways, will allow your enterprise to not only leverage virtually any technology stack, but allow you to do it effortlessly, with minimal downtime.

Not to mention, it might be the most cost-effective, quick-to-deliver solution on the market.

Vendor

🔄 IBM i duo modernizes supply chains

Kato Integrations and Varsity Logistics partner to transform IBM i (AS/400) platforms with seamless integration solutions.

Combining Kato’s API expertise through RPG API Express with Varsity’s specialized shipping software, the partnership eliminates data silos while preserving core system reliability.

Companies gain end-to-end automation spanning order to delivery, with real-time data flow, reduced errors, and lower operational costs—all within the trusted IBM i environment.

💡 AI model diversity is a developer's advantage! Don't limit yourself to one AI solution - experiment with different models to discover which excels at specific tasks. The best AI strategy often combines multiple specialized tools rather than relying on a single general-purpose model.

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