IBM i Marketplace Survey and Shield’s use of Nagios for system monitoring; AI opportunities, challenges, generative AI hype, ChatGPT explanation, and AI use cases; IT project success within broader competitive landscape; PHP 8.1.24 release and Node.js 20.6.0 built‑in .env support.
Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly
- IBM i Brief: IBM i Marketplace Survey. Shield Leverages Nagios for System Monitoring. It’s Time to NAViGATE.
- AI: The Opportunities and Challenges of AI.
- Modernization: Viewing IT Project Success in the Broader Competitive Landscape.
- Open Source: PHP 8.1.24 Released. Node.js Update.
IBM i Brief
IBM i Marketplace Survey It’s that time again for the IBM i Marketplace Survey. Why should you take the survey? Because it is one of the most valuable pieces of information available to the IBM i community. Especially if you are doing new and innovative things on the platform. The community deserves to hear about it. It’s Time to NAViGATE Traditional system monitoring tools on IBM i are valuable, but they have one big downside:
They often require an operator to sit there and stare at the screen to detect when things go wrong. “That gets old very quickly,” says Chris Hird, the Shield Advanced Solutions director who found an alternative approach in Nagios.
What is Nagios? An open-source tool that helps proactively monitor IT infrastructure, ensuring timely alerts and system health insights, thus minimizing downtime and enhancing overall operational efficiency. So, if you are running HA without monitoring it, it might be wise to check out what Shield and Nagios is all about. Shield Leverages Nagios for System Monitoring Looking to mingle with fellow IBM i enthusiasts who are leveraging and extending the reach of the IBM i? Then you might want to head out to Virginia Beach, VA, to NAViGATE on October 9th. Check out the schedule here.
AI
The Opportunities and Challenges of AI “Although artificial intelligence originated in academic research in the 1950s, only recently has it captured the imagination of the general public.” “While there are many promising opportunities, the risks and concerns still remain.” Artificial intelligence applications have evolved over time, starting with rules-based processing and progressing to machine learning, where systems refine rules based on past experiences, much like human learning. This advancement paved the way for neural networks, predictive analytics, voice recognition, and the overarching goal of AI: to be created by humans to emulate human-like intelligence. What is different now, and why is it getting all the hype? Generative AI is receiving attention primarily due to the emergence of large language models, like ChatGPT released by OpenAI. Once it was made available, anyone could sign up, use, and experiment with it. This accessibility has allowed people to witness firsthand the capability of such large language models. What does ChatGPT stand for, and how does it work?
"ChatGPT" stands for "Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer." GPT refers to the "Generative Pre-trained Transformer" architecture used by OpenAI for their series of models. The "Chat" prefix indicates a use-case or variant of the model that's tailored for conversational applications.
These large language models are trained on massive amounts of data, enabling them to generate text by predicting the next word, sentence, or paragraph. Due to their extensive training on enormous datasets, they are able to produce text that sounds human-like. Who is using AI and how are they using it? We don’t want AI to do your job, but it can be very useful as a tool to help you organize your thoughts and bring together large amounts of information quickly, which can save you time. Take some time to watch Unveiling the Truths of Artificial Intelligence with Frank Scavo of Avasant. It will help give perspective on where we are headed.
Modernization
Viewing IT Project Success in the Broader Competitive Landscape Agile is great—but it has made us short-sighted when it comes to long-term problem solving. When planning IT projects, it is important to consider not only the immediate competition but also the wider competitive landscape.
Open Source
PHP 8.1.24 Released The PHP development team announces the immediate availability of PHP 8.1.24. This is a bug-fix release. Node.js Update With the recent release of version 20.6.0, Node.js now has built-in support for .env files.
Join
Sign up for Talsco Weekly to get the latest news, insight and job openings for the IBM i professional.
Contact us
If you are an RPG programmer looking to explore opportunities or a client who is looking for a talented IBM i professional, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you.
Share
Do you know of someone who could benefit from Talsco Weekly? If so, please use the social media buttons to spread the word. Thank you!