Mainframe in Come Back Mode January 21, 2007
Posted by Sandy in Mainframes.1 comment so far
When the biggest and toughest question “Is this the end of Mainframe” was asked, a firm “NO” came back from the Mainframe World.
Mainframe breathes a brand new fresh life. What is this all about? This is about mainframe in come back mode.
The Interview of Ms. Florence Hudson, VP, Marketing & Strategy System Z published in The Hindu Business Line will let you know more about the new life of Mainframe. The Detailed Interview is available at
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2007/01/01/stories/2007010100110300.htm
Is there Still Life in Mainframes? January 21, 2007
Posted by Sandy in Mainframes.add a comment
Is there still life in Mainframes? This is a question now rocking the minds of many Mainframe Techies. The good news is that, it still has a very long life. But with a bitter touch that Mainframe technology has to change little to adopt to the competitive pace.
So, What’s finally happening now? Read on to find out. The below one is the consolidated report from IBM Mainframe.
With a new low-cost model and support for service oriented architectures, IBM is aiming to bolster the mainframe’s appeal for both existing and new users.
IBM is breathing new life into the mainframe with initiatives to woo new users and wow existing ones. But what advantages does the platform offer, and is there a business case for adoption?
IBM’s initiatives to boost the mainframe include rolling out lower-cost mainframes, releasing tools to help users build service oriented architectures (SOA) on the mainframe, and working with universities to raise awareness of mainframe skills.
IBM has released the third generation of its lower-cost mainframe for small and medium-sized enterprises. The System z9 Business Class mainframe (z9 BC) is priced from about £53,000. Targeted at health care and retail users, as well as other mid-market companies, the z9 BC mainframe can run hundreds of virtual servers, but its power consumption is equivalent to 27 Dell Poweredge 2850 servers, according to IBM.
The z9 BC follows the mid-market z800, which came out in 2002, and the z890 in 2004. “The z800 and z890 have been extremely successful in bolstering the mid-range and giving us a tool to target customers. We hope the z9 BC will continue this success,” said IBM systems consultant Doug Neilson.
Neilson said IBM had gained 200 new customers in the past few years, but declined to go into specifics. (more…)
Scooby, the hot favourite of Sandy January 21, 2007
Posted by Sandy in Scooby Doo.1 comment so far
Welcome to the World of Scooby-Doo
Scoobert “Scooby“-Doo is a fictional character in the American television animated series Scooby-Doo, about the adventures of four crime-solving teenagers or young adults. Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane belonging to the character Shaggy Rogers. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy share several personality traits, including tremendous appetites and tendencies toward cowardice. Due to their said cowardice, Scooby-Doo, as well as Shaggy, would often have to be bribed by their cohorts (Velma, Daphne and Fred) to go after the costumed villains with “Scooby Snacks,” a biscuit-like dog treat or cookie snack, although sometimes, Scooby Snacks won’t work on Shaggy, so he may get “Shaggy Snacks”.
Scooby has some difficulty with pronunciation, and tends to pronounce most words as if they begin with an “R”. His catch-phrase, usually howled at the end of every episode, is “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” Don Messick originated the character’s voice patterns, and provided Scooby’s voice in every Scooby-Doo production from 1969 until 1996, when Messick retired. Scott Innes voiced Scooby-Doo in four late 1990s/early 2000s direct-to-video films, and Frank Welker (also the voice of Fred) took over beginning with What’s New, Scooby-Doo? in 2002 and other spinoffs. Neil Fanning provided the voice of the computer-generated Scooby present in the two Warner Bros. live-action feature films.
Within the universe of the show, Scooby-Doo was born on the Knittingham Puppy Farm (owned by Mrs. Knittingham); his “full” first name is Scoobert.
Every one would be familiar with Scooby-Doo and his friends. But what about his relatives???
Here comes his relatives.
Over the course of Scooby-Doo’s various spinoffs, various relatives of Scooby were introduced:
Scrappy-Doo: Scooby’s young nephew (and son of Scooby’s sister Ruby-Doo), Scrappy is the most noteworthy of Scooby’s relatives. Scrappy became a recurring character in the Scooby-Doo series beginning in 1979, and was noted for being quite headstrong and always wanting to face off in a fight against the various villains (unlike his uncle). Scooby and Shaggy were present at Scrappy’s birth. In the first live-action movie, he was portrayed in a negative light, in response to the public dislike toward his character.
Scooby-Dum: Scooby’s cousin, a gray dog. A Mortimer Snerd-esque dog who longed to be a detective. Was rather dimwitted (he’d keep looking for clues even after the mystery was solved).
Scooby-Dee: Scooby’s cousin, a white dog. Spoke with a Southern accent, and was an actress, even though she was Scooby’s cousin, she acted more like a girlfriend.
Yabba-Doo: Scooby’s brother, a white dog owned by Deputy Dusty in the American southwest. Unlike Scooby’s and Scrappy’s, his typical custom catch-phrase at the end is “Yippity-Yabbity-Doooo!!!”, and not “Yabba-Dabba-Doo!”, due to obvious reasons.
Dooby-Doo: Scooby’s triplet brother, a singer. He is one of Scooby’s few siblings to have hair on his head.
Mumsy and Dada Doo: Scooby’s parents.
Whoopsy-Doo: Scooby’s cousin, a clown. Owned by Norville’s uncle, Gaggy Rogers.
Ruby-Doo: Scooby’s sister, and mother of Scrappy-Doo.
Skippy-Doo: Scooby’s triplet brother. Highly intelligent. He is Scooby’s only sibling to wear glasses.
Howdy-Doo: Scooby’s brother. Enjoyed reading supermarket tabloid newspapers. He appears to become a redhead.
Horton-Doo: Scooby’s uncle. Was interested in monsters and science.
Dixie-Doo: Scooby’s cousin.
Grandpa Scooby: Scooby’s grandfather.
Great-Grandpa Scooby: Scooby’s great-grandfather.
Ancestors of Scooby include Yankee Doodle Doo, who came to Plymouth, Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower with Shaggy’s ancestor, McBaggy Rogers.
Is that all about My Darling Scooby-Doo? This is just a beginning. Keep checking my blog for interesting stories about production history and other Scooby-Doo cartoons and movies.
And Scooby fans, you can join the Scooby fan club at http://www.scoobydoofanclub.co.uk/.
Let us Care n Share January 20, 2007
Posted by Sandy in Lovable memories.add a comment
A good one! We fail to realize, but a bit of care and love is all that is needed to make the world a better place…
Charles Schultz Philosophy
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read through, and you’ll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners . Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .
Easier?
The Lesson: People who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care .
“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today.It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” – Charles Schultz
Heart Shaking Innocent Man January 20, 2007
Posted by Sandy in Hot Favs.1 comment so far
Hai Folks,
The recent book which I read was Inocent Man by John Grisham. Innocent Man is John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction, an exploration of small town justice gone terribly awry, is his most extraordinary legal thriller yet.
In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the State of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A’s, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory.
Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits—drinking, drugs, and women. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept twenty hours a day on her sofa.
In 1982, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder.
With no physical evidence, the prosecution’s case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row.
If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.
I beleive every one will like this book and more information about Innocent man and other works of John Grisham can be obtained from
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/grisham/main.php
Enjoy reading books because “Knowing is Evrything“
Getting in to Domain January 20, 2007
Posted by Sandy in For Techies.add a comment
This is for all techies to give a thought process on having domain knowledege. This is an excerpt from an interview with Mr.Luke Hohmann.
A word about Mr.Luke Hohmann:
Luke Hohmann is a management consultant who helps his clients bridge the gap that often exists between business and technology. In his past experience, he has played many of the varied roles required by successful software product development organizations, including development, marketing, professional services, sales, customer care, and business development. Hohmann currently focuses his efforts on enterprise class software systems. He is the author of Journey of the Software Professional: A Sociology of Software Development (Prentice-Hall, 1997), which blends cognitive pyschology and organizational behavior into a model for managing the human side of software development. He is also the author of Beyond Software Architecture: Creating and Sustaining Winning Solutions (Addison-Wesley, 2003), which discusses software architecture in a business context.
Now, The Importance of Domin Knowledge. Read On…
The Importance of Domain Knowledge
Interviewer: In your book, Beyond Software Architecture, you write, “The requirement of domain knowledge for a [technical architect] is so strong, that few developers can be promoted to this position until they have considerable experience and skill building systems in the specified domain.” Why is domain knowledge important? Why isn’t good general knowledge about software development sufficient?
Luke Hohmann: In the field of cognitive psychology, there is a tremendous amount of literature that says that domain knowledge trumps technical knowledge in many endeavors, including software. Almost invariably, the ability to make correct decisions about the handling of a given issue in a given domain is based not on technical skills, but on domain skills. I discuss this extensively in my first book, Journey of the Software Professional.
Interviewer: Can you give an example of the importance of domain knowledge in software?
They say guys lie……here’s why…… May 25, 2006
Posted by Sandy in Lovable memories.2 comments
This is an interesting story, i read some time ago. I don't know whether it happened or not but it is a touching one. Read on……
The story begins….
Heartening…
He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to being polite, she promised. They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, and she thought to herself, "Please, let me go home…"
Suddenly he asked the waiter, "Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee." Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, "Why you have this hobby?"
He replied, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there." While saying
that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility of home… Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him!
Thanks to his salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, and then they were living the happy life… And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that’s the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said, "My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life's lie. This was the only lie I said to you—the salty
coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything… Now I'm dying, I afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth, I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste… But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you.
Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again."
Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her, "What's the taste of salty coffee?" She replied, "It's sweet."
Pass this story to everyone because "Love is not to forget but to forgive, not to see but understand, not to hear but to listen, not to let go "
….. And they say guys are Liars;
Courtesy: Bharghava Vamsi Krishna
IBM enhances mainframe software for SOA enablement May 24, 2006
Posted by Sandy in Techy News.1 comment so far
Its time to refresh and sharpen your mainframe skills.
IBM has announced software enhancements for the System z that it says will make working with the mainframe easier and more relevant in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) environment
The products are:
- IBM Rational Cobol Generation Extension and Runtime, available now, which allow developers using Java, VisualBasic, PL/1 and Cobol to create SOA-enabled mainframe applications.
- WebSphere Process Server and Enterprise Service Bus, available in June, which connects mainframe data to business processes through an SOA, such as an online credit card purchase that requires checking inventory levels and shipping status.
- DB2 Viper, later this year, to support the z9 Integrated Information Processor (zIIP), which is a processor designed to help the mainframe support database applications.
- WebSphere Portal 6.0, later this year, which will allow customer employees to see information from different applications on one screen.
- Tivoli Federated Identity Manager, later this year, which will secure transactions across mainframes and distributed computers.
All of them serve the Armonk, N.Y., company's purpose to show that mainframes aren't the hard-to-manage dinosaurs that some still think they are.
Steven Mills, senior vice president and general manager of IBM's software group, said the new enhancements allow programmers to develop software and Web services without having unique mainframe skills.
IBM rolls out z9 Business Class May 24, 2006
Posted by Sandy in Techy News.add a comment
IBM has introduced a new model of its z9 mainframe in China to target midsized businesses that can't afford its biggest iron.
The z9 Business Class is considered an update to its predecessor, the z890, and IBM boasts it has 75% more processing power.
Some details:
- It can handle up to seven processors, compared to four for the z890.
- It has double the memory, up to 64 GB per server.
- It features 26 millions of instructions per second (MIPS) in a base model, upgradeable to more than 400 MIPS.
IBM rolled out its larger z9-109, now called z9 Enterprise Class, last summer as an upgrade to its predecessor, the z990.But the price tag on that monster starts around $1 million. That is well over the budget of smaller companies that want the benefits the z9 provides but don't have the size to justify it.
The price for the z9 Business Class starts at $100,000.
"It is definitely a small/medium machine compared to a large enterprise machine," said Jim Porell, IBM's chief architect for mainframe software.
The z9 Business Class and Enterprise Class will also be the first to offer a high-speed data processor to help the mainframes process database applications. Called the zIIP, which stands for z Integrated Information Processor, it follows previous processors that IBM has rolled out, the zAAP and IFL, which help process Java and Linux applications, respectively.
Each specialty processor is individually priced at $95,000 on the z9 Business Class. The price on z9 Enterprise Class will remain $125,000 for each processor. (more…)
Let us modernize Mainframes!!! May 24, 2006
Posted by Sandy in Mainframes.add a comment
Mainframe applications have been criticized for spiraling maintenance costs, the result of a vicious circle of lack of documentation and lack of ability to upgrade, leading to higher costs of maintenance or upgrade right now. At the same time, most enterprises recognize that their existing mainframe applications are business-critical but old, and therefore cannot be leveraged as much as the business would like. Thus, these applications need to be modernized.
Modernization means revising existing legacy applications so that they can leverage today's new software technologies as part of an enterprise architecture. Once these applications are modernized, they should offer the flexibility, robustness, programmer productivity, and access from across and outside the enterprise that today's new applications typically provide.
One technology offers particular hope for modernizing cost-effectively across all enterprise platforms is Web services. However users who are prototyping Web services implementations must pick the right targets, because there is no money to waste on failed or long-running projects.
The answer is to target existing mainframe business-critical applications first. Modernizing an existing mainframe enterprise resource planning (ERP) or order-entry application maximizes the positive impact on the bottom line, while minimizing the costs of providing new e-business features. Web-servicizing these applications simplifies the existing e-business architecture, cutting administrative and development costs.
Where ever possible, these applications should be upgraded in place.They should be modified on the mainframe rather than migrating them to a new platform.
Choosing the right approach
Today's enterprises typically consider four strategies for integrating new technologies with their existing mainframe application suites:
Upgrade in place. The program and its data are kept on the mainframe, and the developer applies mainframe tools that integrate the new technologies with the mainframe application.
Migrate. The program's source or binary code is moved to another platform with little or no change, and the developer applies tools on the new platform to add the new technologies. Note that the application's data may be moved to the new platform as well, or may remain on the mainframe. (more…)
