Talsco Weekly: Next-Gen Innovation on IBM i

Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

IBM i Brief: 🔧 IBM plans seamless Linux integration for IBM i. ☁️ IBM’s PowerVS dominates cloud landscape.
Career: 👨‍💻 IBM’s youth movement reshapes the platform.
Development: 🔧 Developer creates custom YouTube controller for IBM i.
Modernization: 🎯 Legacy developers champion modern IBM i evolution.
Trends: 🔄 Apple retreats from AI hype to focus on design.
Vendor: 🔍 iEventMonitor v9 released with enhanced automation and monitoring capabilities.

IBM i Brief

🔧 IBM plans seamless Linux integration for IBM i

IBM’s Chief Technology Officer Steve Will revealed plans for a Linux-like PASE environment called PLEASE (Portable Linux Enterprise Application Software Environment).

Linux has been the only operating system that is growing its footprint in the world and that so much new and interesting application and systems software runs on Linux.

This initiative aims to integrate Linux applications seamlessly within IBM i, similar to how PASE currently handles AIX applications, enabling modern workloads without complex Linux partitioning.

☁️ IBM’s PowerVS dominates cloud landscape IBM’s Power Virtual Server offering is reshaping the IBM i cloud market with impressive growth - 650 customers across 22 global datacenters and 30% annual growth. Independent providers like Fresche Solutions are pivoting to partner with PowerVS, citing improved capabilities and market demand. This shift signals a potential consolidation in the IBM i cloud ecosystem.

Career

👨‍💻 IBM’s youth movement reshapes the platform

IBM has injected fresh talent into its IBM i development team, with recent IBM i-ers like Liam Allan, Sanjula Ganepola, Jonathan Zak, Julia Yan, and Adam Shedivy bringing modern perspectives to VS Code, Navigator, and open source projects.

It’s hard to believe that Liam Allan has been working on the IBM i platform for nearly a decade. Allan, who started working on IBM i when he was just 17 years old, was hired by IBM in 2022 to lead the development of IBM i plug-ins for VS Code, among other open source projects.

These young developers, working from Rochester and Toronto labs, are revolutionizing traditional IBM i development with their enthusiasm and innovative approaches.

Development

🔧 Developer creates custom YouTube controller for IBM i

An innovative IBM i developer demonstrates modern integration by using QSYS2.HTTP functions and Node.js WebSockets to control YouTube playlists through RPG programming.

Did you know you can also connect a Tesla to your IBM i?

Modernization

🎯 Legacy developers champion modern IBM i evolution A thought-provoking article by George VanEaton emphasizes how veteran developers are vital to technological advancement. Drawing from decades of experience with RPG, COBOL, and core business systems, these seasoned professionals bring invaluable expertise to modernization efforts.

Legacy doesn’t mean obsolete. Legacy means proven. Reliable. Still running.

Their deep understanding of system architecture and business logic makes them essential bridges between legacy systems and modern development practices.

Trends

🔄 Apple retreats from AI hype to focus on design

Not sure this is a trend, other than, the natural progression of innovation but this article makes me think about the broader tech landscape and what the future holds.

At WWDC 2025, Apple admitted its overpromised AI features from last year haven’t materialized.

💡 Thinking out loud: Do a lot of companies find themselves in this boat? Trying to deliver AI solutions that have not materialized. Will this play out in the IBM i ecosystem as well?

Instead, the company unveiled Liquid Glass, a new unified design system showcasing its core strength in hardware-software integration, while opening up to developers and partners for AI capabilities through frameworks and third-party collaborations.

Vendor

🔍 iEventMonitor v9 released with enhanced automation and monitoring capabilities

Kisco Systems releases the latest version of iEventMonitor v9 that brings full automation for watch tasks, new PTF and Firmware monitors, and improved alerting logic for IBM i systems.

System monitoring is an essential component of IT security because it helps keep track of the performance and availability of IT infrastructure, as well as detect and troubleshoot issues that may affect the security of the network and applications. Monitoring is often required by IT security, insurance and regulatory frameworks.

See all the product updates. If you are an existing customer or looking to learn more about the updates, you can register for the iEventMonitor Update webinar.

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