The latest tools for developing your IBM i systems presented by Dave Pickburn, Director at Proximity.

1. © Proximity 2014
The latest tools for
developing your systems
Dave Pickburn
Director

2. © Proximity 2014
Introduction
• The IBM i is a much more open platform than it was
• Its very suitable for developing fully functional browser based software
• Think Functions rather than Applications
• Can deliver mobile apps (very well)
• Can deliver responsive applications (as good as any other platform)
• And ….

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Introduction
• Data in existing DB2 applications (BPCS / LX etc.) is all available
• Existing logic can be re used including calls to RPG and CL programs
• Existing screens can be re worked and re developed
• Results can be delivered:
• Cloud based (e.g. our Stream application)
• As a Project on your site
• Using Own developers
• And…

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Introduction
• And with DBi (MySQL)
• Many PHP/MySQL applications are available on your IBM i
FREE !
And with a simple change table command – the data is accessible as
DB2 database files

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Under the Covers

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Whatever you do…
If it’s delivered in a browser (and it should be)…
What you are serving out from the IBM i is:
That is interpreted and rendered by the browser as web pages
And having a Responsive
design is probably good

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What is responsive?
Optimising output for multiple devices
• Desktop
• Mobile
• Tablet

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Samples

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Options and Examples
• PHP Development
• Web Enabling
• Packaged Solutions
• CMS
• Ecommerce
• Utilities etc.
• And many more

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PHP Development
• PHP is great for web development
• A real programming language
• Fast to develop with
• Open source
• Widely used
• Strong PHP community
• Extensive resources and tools available
• Runs on IBM i
• Integrates and works well with existing applications
• SQL database access, RPG / COBOL / CL program calls
• No 3rd party hardware
• PHP Development
• Zend Studio
• WebSmart PHP

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Web Enabling
• Screen Scraping / Refacing / Web Enabling
• Several products available
• With Presto, much more than a screen scrape
• Works out of the box
• Full development options
• Complete access to custom HTML, CSS and Javascript
• Database access via SQL
 No changes required to the application
 Runs native on IBM i
 Interactive jobs run in subsystems as normal

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Packaged Solutions
• Utilising existing Applications written in PHP and MySQL
• Delivered as part of Zend Server 6.3+
• Pre configured to quickly install
• Often with community editions
• Often with Themes available free or at a low cost
• Drupal – Content Management System (CMS)
• Magento – eCommerce
• WordPress – Blogging and CMS
• Joomla – CMS
• Mantis – Bug tracker
• Media-Wiki – Wiki
• SugarCRM - CRM
• And many more

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Summary
• The IBM i is ready for modern development
• Think mainly Functions rather than Applications
• Can deliver mobile apps and responsive designs very well
• Existing DB2 applications such as BPCS and LX are accessible
• Existing screens can be re worked and re developed
• No new hardware
• Maximise the existing investment, evolve and deliver excellent results:
• Cost effectively
• With low risk

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