I thought it was really interesting, so I decided rather than give you another IBM i programming tip, I'd tell you about how I wasted my brainwaves.

Do you do this? My mind is always going, and it needs something to work on or I get bored. Waiting for things drives me crazy, so whenever I know I'm going to have to wait, I try to have something that occupies my mind. Often, this involves surfing the web, looking for something that amuses me. Some would refer to this as wasting time, but I refer to it as wasting brainwaves.

I was wasting some brainwaves on Wikipedia the other day, and I came across a logic problem. No problem, right? I'm a computer programmer. I'm great at both logic and math. I can't fail! Here's the problem:

Mr. Smith has two children. At least one of them is a boy. What is the probability that both children are boys?

In the article Run QShell/PASE Commands with RPG SPECIAL Files, I presented a new open-source tool that makes it easy to run PHP scripts and Unix utilities from an RPG program.

Since that tool was first provided, I've received several questions, as well as helpful and interesting suggestions from people who have tried out the tool. In this article, I cover the most common questions, as well as share the interesting feedback.

I'd also like to hear your thoughts about this utility. Does it sound easy enough to use? I've been told that since the tool is called UNIXCMD, it'll intimidate some RPG programmers, and that I should pick a name without the word "Unix" in it. Do you agree (bearing in mind that the purpose of the tool is to run the Unix-like utilities available for PASE and QShell)? What do you think?

I received the following message from a reader:

This comment is in regard to Tool to Start OpenSSH Server [article ID 58570 at SystemiNetwork.com]. I downloaded the save file attached to IBM Document 504545174 and found that the STRENDSSHD command functions only to start the OpenSSH server. When attempting to end the server, I get an "environment variable not found" error. I thought you would want to know this and publish this information.

More and more frequently these days, programmers are dissatisfied with Windows as their desktop. Problems with stability, the need to reinstall frequently, poor performance, security flaws, susceptibility to viruses, and so forth, are major reasons folks are dissatisfied with Windows as a desktop.

As an IBM i developer, I know that using an alternative desktop such as Linux or Mac has its own set of challenges. Where do you get 5250 emulation software? What do you use for a browser? IBM only makes Windows versions of RDi, Navigator for IBM i, and various other tools. What solutions are there? How does an IBM i programmer use a Linux desktop?

If you're facing these challenges, there's a new mailing list at Midrange.com to help you. Like all of Midrange.com's lists, it costs nothing to join, and the discussions come straight to your email inbox. Check it out!