IBM i Champions program highlights, hardware/OS/software balance and marketplace adoption gaps, AI advancements and security concerns, career advice on historical resumes, legacy RPG debugging history, leadership challenges and training strategies for IBM i teams, learning opportunities at COMMON Conference and virtual events, and calls to join the newsletter and explore IBM i professional opportunities.
Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly
- IBM i Brief: 🏆 IBM Champions Program sees strong Power Systems representation. 🔄 Hardware, Operating Systems, & Software: A Balancing Act.
- AI: The General Intelligence Tsunami.
- Career: 📋 Historical Resume: A Career Game-Changer for IBM i Pros.
- Development History: System 360: RPG Debugging Template. 💻 IBM revolutionized law firm operations in 1984.
- Leadership: 👔IBM i Leadership: Stewards of Platform Growth.
- Learning: India: COMMON Conference. FOCUS - Virtual Event February 25 - 26, 2025.
IBM i Brief
🏆 IBM Champions Program sees strong Power Systems representation
The 2025 IBM Champions class includes 1,035 members worldwide, with 232 in the IBM Power group. Notably, 132 Champions have IBM i expertise, spanning regions from EMEA (67 members) to the Americas (51 members). Despite a slight decrease from 2024’s 1,155 members, the program continues to showcase technical excellence and platform advocacy across various specialties including Cloud, Storage, and Power Systems.
Takeaway: We always seem to hear that the IBM i does not get the respect it deserves. This years list of IBM i Champions might think otherwise.
🔄 Hardware, Operating Systems, & Software: A Balancing Act
The debate between prioritizing hardware, operating systems, or software currency reveals that they are all important. This week, IT Jungle, digs deep into the IBM i Marketplace Survey, with a focus on the operating system.
Take away:
IBM i releases show a leader-laggard pattern. Analysis of the IBM i Marketplace Survey reveals a distinct split in adoption rates. By modeling raw data, researchers estimate that three-quarters of the installed base (approximately 90,000 customers) lag 4-5 years behind current releases.
AI
The General Intelligence Tsunami
From outside the IBM i eco-chamber.
Grab a coffee☕
Here is an essay that explores the current and future state of AI.
Situational Awareness:
AI systems that can automate nearly any task a human might use a computer to accomplish—will be here as soon as 30 months from today.
As covered, in the Case For Computers below, ⬇️ the advent of computers and applications, as described in the story from 1984, have always improved human efficiency.
But AI seems to be on a different level altogether.
Because one of the innumerable things AGI can do is AI research; progress in AI will explode after that. If you think the current pace of progress in AI is rapid, you haven’t seen anything yet: with AGI, AI will be able to improve itself.
Thinking about: It’s fascinating the powers of AI, but there are some serious security ramifications to consider. A whole new sub-category of security is emerging: AI Security. And you thought Shadow IT was a problem. AI is taking it to another level.
Career
📋 Historical Resume: A Career Game-Changer for IBM i Pros
A new trend emerges as IBM i professionals create detailed historical resumes to document their career journey. This comprehensive approach goes beyond traditional CVs, tracking every project, skill, and achievement throughout their IBM i career path.
Development History
System 360: RPG Debugging Template
I love history.
It teaches us about the future.
In doing some research, I stumbled across the Wayback Machine and decided to see what would come up with this search (IBM AND RPG).
So this is what a punch card looks like.
😂 I guess this is what we call “legacy” technology now!
Wow! Look how far we’ve come.
💻 IBM revolutionized law firm operations in 1984
The Wayback Machine uncovered another story, unique to the early origins of the System/36.
The Case for Computers documentary showcased IBM’s groundbreaking Information System for Attorneys (ISA) running on System/36.
This $15,000 suite of 19 programs transformed legal practice management, handling everything from client billing to trust accounting.
The system promised improved cash flow through better tracking of work, disbursements, and receivables—marking a pivotal shift from paper to digital operations.
The Midrange Computer was a head of it’s time:
The most significant application is its photographic memory capabilities. Once I tell the computer what is in the transcripts and documentation, I can find them instantaneously. It’s impossible for me to lose anything. The rest of the guys are out there with bows and arrows, and I have gunpowder. This has literally changed the way I spend my day in the office. - John Klien, Lawyer
This 14-minute video is worth the time. 🎥
It’s reflective of where we are today and how technology has changed our world.
Leadership
👔IBM i Leadership: Stewards of Platform Growth
This article, makes some interesting points that I have to agree with.
There is a sentiment that some IBM i shops are stuck in the past with some **leaders blaming teams for resisting modernization.
When IBM i applications or systems fall behind, many leaders default to blaming their teams for being “stuck in the past.” While the stereotype of the resistant tech veteran exists, the reality is different. Many IBM i teams are severely understaffed, managing workloads previously handled by 3-4 people. They’re not resistant - they’re overwhelmed, needing both time and resources to modernize effectively.
There certainly is some truth to this.
A Better Way Forward.
Over the course of 25 years in helping the IBM i community push forward, I have come across amazing leadership.
How do they do it? They go to battle with their team, walk in their shoes and listen.
So, if you are in an IBM i Leadership role here are some things to consider:
- Training Investment: Get staff to training sessions, with leaders participating to better champion technology investments to upper management
- Leadership Support: The most successful leaders that I have seen offer dedicated work hours for developers to experiment with and train on newer methods, technologies, and tools. For example, RPG developers get to pick 4 hours (a half day a week) to learn something new.
If you are in the IBM i technical ranks and training is not what it should be, you will need to take initiative.
- Developer Initiative: Despite busy schedules, developers should invest in self-study to explore new methods and technologies. If you are at an organization that does not foster a healthy learning environment, you will need to put the extra time in off hours, or you will be left behind.
In Summary: Effective stewardship of the IBM i platform requires a strong partnership between leadership and technical teams. When leadership provides support and teams embrace learning, the IBM i platform flourishes.
Learning
COMMON is now in India. Check out the conference details here along with the speakers and discussion topics.
If you can’t make the trip to India, you can always start planning for POWERup25.
FOCUS - Virtual Event February 25 - 26, 2025 Gain in-depth IBM i education from these half-day virtual workshops that deep dive into various IT topics. Learn more about each topic and ask questions from the recognized. This in-depth workshop event is FREE to MEMBERS.
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