COMMON product round-up: Modernizing the IBM System i

By Mark Fontecchio, News Writer 16 May 2007 | Search400.com

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COMMON, the IBM System i users group, held its annual conference from April 29 to May 3 in Anaheim, Calif. Search400.com has done a round-up of all the numerous product releases at the show. With all the talk about VoIP, PHP and putting a browser-like face over 5250 green-screen applications here, IBM and its application providers are trying to guide current System i users, and attract new ones, by modernizing the server platform.

BCD announces PHP development application for IBM System i

More on COMMON, the IBM System i users group New COMMON president Randy Dufault takes the helm COMMON restructures conferences Q&A with COMMON executive director Ralph Gervasi

Using WebSmart PHP, System i users can now create PHP-based applications that are native to IBM System i, as well as Linux and Windows servers. It comes with more than 50 templates to help guide developers into creating the PHP application they need, and can support DB2 and MySQL databases.

WebSmart PHP includes text-bases and visual HTML design tools and supports other web technologies such as CSS.

The beta program will be available in June, with 30-day evaluations available at the BCD Websmart PHP site. Licenses will start at $4,250 for two developer seats with additional seats costing $1,950; an unlimited site license for a single System i will also be available for $13,500.

Profound Logic Software announces green-screen modernization program

Profound Logic has introduced Genie, software that helps System i users modernize legacy green-screen applications. It is 100% browser based and produces standard HTML to help modernize RPG, CL, COBOL, menu or i5/OS system screens. Genie turns the applications into more interactive browser-based screens that can help improve usability and shorten the learning curve for new users.

More information on the tool is available at the Profound Logic Software site.

iMessaging enters System i VoIP market

iMessaging Systems is releasing its iNspire Call Center Suite for the System i and 3Com VoIP platform.

The product is SIP-enabled and tested on all 3Com VoIP phones. IBM and 3Com have partnered on an all-in-one VoIP solution for the System i. Pricing for iNspire starts under $30,000 for smaller call centers and can grow to more than $150,000 for larger operations. There is more information on iNspire at the iMessaging site.

iMessaging Systems also announced a Telephony Integration Program to help System i application providers give customers a VoIP-enabled out-of-the-box product that would include a System i, 3Com VoIP software, iMessaging's iNspire Call Center Suite, plus whatever software that application provider offers.

RJS Software releases iForms and iPDF

RJS Software Systems has announced new products for creating PDF documents, forms and reports on the IBM System i.

Its iPDF product is a PDF document generation interface for RPG developers on the IBM System i. The developers can create Adobe Acrobat PDF documents directly from their RPG programs. The iPDF software supports writing text, barcodes, lines, circles, images and other graphic elements into a PDF document, and can also create PDF documents with multiple columns and color coding to be sent to mobile devices.

Meanwhile, iForms is an IBM System i electronic forms and report writing software. It allows electronic forms to be generated from data sources, such as database files from DB2, MySQL and Oracle. It can also create reports from those same databases and output them onto PDF, HTML, and other formats.

looksoftware ready for Google and Microsoft Outlook

looksoftware has upgraded its software to include support for Google searching and Microsoft Outlook email on the IBM System i.

Version 8.1 is able to help System i users integrate their applications with Microsoft Outlook as well as provide a thin client interface for business applications with Google.

Let us know what you think about the story; e-mail: Mark Fontecchio, News Writer.

Tags: User Groups,  Web Development,  RPG iSeries programming,  VIEW ALL TAGS

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