SYSI_INEWSWIRE UK_ A Penton Media Property June 24, 2009 Issue 359 If you want to view this on the web go to: http://enews.penton.com/enews/systeminews/v/792 System iNetwork (http://systeminetwork.com/sinetwork/events/2578) System iNetwork Webcasts -- Education that reaches out to you! (http://systeminetwork.com/sinetwork/events/2578) View one-hour, online sessions from your own computer. Hear from award winning speakers during live, interactive presentations! Registration is FREE! Click here (http://systeminetwork.com/sinetwork/events/2578) for an up-to-date schedule of events. What's News: Gartner's still keeping its eye on the i (http://systeminetwork.com/article/gartners-still-keeping-its-eye-i?override=1) By Seamus Quinn (http://www.systeminetwork.com/search/f3/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.searchByAuthor&searchType=authoridlist&authorID=50021&authoridlist=50021&authorName=Quinn, Seamus) IT analyst Gartner says that worldwide Power i server revenues were down 31.5% to just over $180 million in the first quarter of 2009. In the last issue of iNEWSWire UK, we reported rival analyst IDC's estimate that first quarter Power i revenues were down 44% in EMEA from the same period a year ago. According to Gartner, revenue for i OS-powered hardware in EMEA was actually only down 28% compared to the same period last year, although the platform also dipped by 16.7% in the first quarter of 2008. Within those figures, the analyst says that sales of older "legacy" System i hardware have nearly dropped off the radar with a 90.8% decline in Q4, 2008 and 89% in Q1, 2009. UK-based Gartner senior analyst Errol Rasit is keen to stress that contrary to previous reports in this newsletter and others, his firm is still keeping a close eye on the i. "As a part of our quarterly statistics definitions we still continue to publish an IBM i number, or i5 or AS/400 or whatever you want to call them these days," he says. "Our research has been continuous so we've tracked the migration of the i business from the legacy System i, as IBM would refer to it, to the new Power Systems." Read more... (http://systeminetwork.com/article/gartners-still-keeping-its-eye-i) What's News: Power i skills still in demand despite recession (http://systeminetwork.com/article/power-i-skills-still-demand-despite-recession?override=1) By Seamus Quinn (http://www.systeminetwork.com/search/f3/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.searchByAuthor&searchType=authoridlist&authorID=50021&authoridlist=50021&authorName=Quinn, Seamus) Even at a time of rising unemployment, Power i pros with sharp enough skills can find new jobs, says a midrange recruitment specialist. While the recession means that he is seeing less demand, Computer Futures (http://www.computerfutures.com)' Andrew Nitek says: "There is still a market out there. Recently, there were a couple of companies that went into administration like [Woolworths' distribution arm] Entertainment UK. They were a big AS/400 site but all the staff found new jobs, pretty much. It shows that there are opportunities." Computer Futures is one of the very few big IT recruitment firms to still have an IBM i division and has been finding positions for midrange job hunters for 20 years. Nitek says that i-oriented jobs tend to come up through staff turnover more than anything else. There are also opportunities created when UK firms bring offshore IT operations back home. He describes developer and technical consultant roles as at the more "dynamic" end of the market along with skills in insurance applications, System 21, Synon and JD Edwards. "Those guys would tend to pick up jobs," says Nitek. "While they won't get millions of openings, what you tend to find is that there won't be that much competition and because they've been specialising in a niche area for so long they tend to be quite well regarded." Read more... (http://systeminetwork.com/article/power-i-skills-still-demand-despite-recession) What's News: New solutions: Power i powerhouse updates modernisation and querying tools (http://systeminetwork.com/article/new-solutions-power-i-powerhouse-updates-modernisation-and-querying-tools?override=1) By Seamus Quinn (http://www.systeminetwork.com/search/f3/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.searchByAuthor&searchType=authoridlist&authorID=50021&authoridlist=50021&authorName=Quinn, Seamus) Power i software powerhouse Business Computer Design (BCD (http://www.bcdsoftware.com)) has enhanced a number of the components that make up its BCD Modernisation Suite. UK distributor is Softlanding Europe (http://www.softlandingeurope.com). BCD's web development tool WebSmart 8 now includes XML functions that simplify document processing and parsing. Its WebSmart PHP variant's built-in change management functions now have added support for FTP paths, making it easier to organise and publish website content. The upcoming version of BCD's Nexus Portal will include a Google Search Appliance portlet. The minimum OS release required to run Presto, BCD's rapid green-screen to web tool, is now V5R1 instead of V5R4. There is now an option to run Presto without installing the WebSphere Application Server for all the OS levels it supports. Support for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) has been added to WebSmart ILE, BCD's rapid web application development tool. This allow users to create connections to different LDAP data sources and manage entries in those sources. Catapult, BCD's PC and IBM i client/server application for automated reports has been rewritten in C# yielding performance improvements. It has also been redesigned with a XP/Vista-looking UI and a new grab rule editor that improves process flow when creating new distribution rules. BCD has also released version 1.6 of Clover, its real-time web reporting and querying tool for the i. The alternative to IBM's DB2 Web Query now imports Query/400 query definitions to create real-time web reports that can be output as web pages with prompts and filters, as spreadsheets, graphs and as interactive drill-downs. Query options like selected fields, file joins, calculated fields, sort fields, comparisons and level breaks are retained. An SQL wizard provides further customisation. End users can access results from a browser. Clover integrates with BCD's Nexus Portal to provide a secure login so users only see the reports they are authorised to see. It also includes a menuing system that makes reports easier to access. Read more... (http://systeminetwork.com/article/new-solutions-power-i-powerhouse-updates-modernisation-and-querying-tools) Sign Up for Other System iNetwork Newsletters! Enter Your E-mail Address: System iNetwork Programming Tips Technical tips for System i software analysts and developers, which is sent the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. System iNetwork Systems Management Technical tips, insight, and utilities for configuration, performance, security, and other operational topics, which is sent on alternating Wednesdays. My i - .NET Monthly e-mail newsletter presenting technical articles, how-to guides, tips, and case studies on the integration of .NET applications. RPG Coder Technical tips and techniques for RPG programmers and developers, which is sent on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Sign-up form doesn't work? Subscribe at System iNetwork.com (http://www.systeminetwork.com/newsletters) (http://systeminetwork.com/sinetwork/events/2578) From System iNetwork e-Learning July 30 -- Introduction to XML & Web Services for System i Developers (http://www2.systeminetwork.com/edu/e-learning/) This course covers the basics of XML syntax, how XML and web services fit into the larger topic of browser-based application development, and more. July 30 -- Introduction to SQL for System i Developers (http://www2.systeminetwork.com/edu/e-learning/) This course covers the essential components of SQL syntax, as well as iSeries/System i support for SQL. Register now! Webcasts July 29 -- Coaxing Your Journal To Give Up Its secrets (http://www.systeminetwork.com/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=451) Larry Youngren and Dave Owen help you identify the steps you too can take to get the biggest bang for the buck when tuning your journal in an HA environment. iNEWSWire UK, published bi-weekly on Wednesdays, brings you System i industry news, product news, and IBM announcements. You are subscribed as: #email# (not #email# ? Subscribe Now (http://www.systeminetwork.com/myprofile).) For questions, comments, and reader feedback about an item or product covered in iNEWSWire UK, please e-mail Seamus Quinn (mailto:seamus@iseriesnetwork.com) or +44 (0)161 929 2800. 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