Comments on: System i evolution: The missing link is still missing (part 1)

By: Pete Helgren

Pete Helgren — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:15:07 +0000

Lukas - The System i being in a heterogeneous environment is good news and bad news. Yes, we need to do more integration work so that everyone plays nicely together, but the upside is that IBM can focus on the System i strengths and not have to be all things to all people. I am not sure that the it would be a good idea for the System i to have a proprietary client where e-mail, word processing, web browsing and all the other client side tasks are tied to the System i. But, yeah, we still have a long way to go to have seamless integration between the System i and all other clients.

Ben - See part two of the article about how we are doing that will be published this we to see how we are doing.

By: Ben Hooks

Ben Hooks — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:50:10 +0000

How have you done? I might have a bad memory, but you were with J&K, right? As a developer of school admin software ourself, we have both feet firmly in the GUI world and in the OS400 operating system. We have even managed to incorporate GUI with data from the AS400. So could we help each other? Check both http://www.ems-isis.com and http://www.mealplus.com out.

By: Lukas Beeler

Lukas Beeler — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:42:46 +0000

What always seems to be underestimated is that the System i has a large missing link.

Since the Twinax terminals have died (and for good reason), the is no longer a native System i client platform - you’ll have to use another platform to access the data on your System i.

Back in the 80s it was possible to buy a System i, and you had your IT problem solved. A single box that took care of everything - printing, displays, all could be managed centrally on your System i. Twinax was plug&play done right - plugin a printer, and everything works.

However, in 2007, you will need to choose a client solution for your System i. This could be some sort of Linux Distribution, but usually it is Microsoft Windows (because for example Microsoft Office) - and this is where the headaches starts. Standalone Windows clients are a nightmare to administrate if there are more than five of them, so you’ll need to manage them.

The System i doesn’t offer much in this area - Netserver is okay for occasional file transfers, but for a central data store it has many disadvantages (IBM currently hasn’t fixed all the problems Netserver has with Vista).

And here comes my point: Today, you can’t choose between a System i or a Windows Environment. You to choose between a Windows Environment or a System i together with a Windows Environment. Tight integration between Windows and the System i (in terms of authentication) isn’t exactly easy to get right.