Once a month (or so) we like to pick blog articles from other sources that we feel are interesting enough to talk about on the Planet Mainframe blog. Here are this month’s picks:
Taking Down the Mainframe
Another interesting article on the Dancing Dinosaur blog: Taking Down the Mainframe. Planet Mainframe friend and Dancing Dinosaur author Alan Radding reacts to any aggressively anti-mainframe article that appears anywhere. While the Forbes article he references isn’t really predicting the end of the mainframe, he does manage to shoot down any of the perceived weaknesses of the platform. Would we expect any less from the Dancing Dinosaur? Heck, no!
See more here: DancingDinosaur.
IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Python 3.9 is now available!
With this release IBM Z clients gain access to the latest and greatest Python community release. Not only can you keep pace with development across all of your platforms, you can leverage your IBM Z assets like DB2 databases and datasets, as well as using the vast Python package ecosystem. Visit the Python Community page for more how-to information.
IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Python is a strategic programming language and IBM intends to maintain currency with the Python Software Foundation. This release includes:
- New dictionary merge & update operators for more succinct code
- New removeprefix() and removesuffix() string methods
- Type annotations in the source that now supports built-in collection types like list and dict
- A new more performant parser makes it easier to add new functionality to the Python language
- A new graphlib package in the standard library which supports producing a Topological ordering
Looking to get a jump start using Python on IBM Z? Check out our video demos! Learn how to set up your virtual environment, or how to build a native package.
To obtain the latest version of IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Python please visit the Product Page.
Article submitted by Jennifer Rowan.
An Overview of the Academic Landscape of Mainframe in the US
Interesting article by Cameron Seay on the Open Mainframe blog: An Overview of the Academic Landscape of Mainframe in the US. Mr. Seay interviews Planet Mainframe friend Reg Harbeck about how the education system worked to keep apace with rapid developments for system programmers during the maturing of the platform 30 plus years ago. How do we address folks complaining that there aren’t enough tech people with mainframe experience? Great question.
See more here: OpenMainframe.
Announcement for IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go
IBM made an important announcement for Go (or Golang) on z/OS, continuing its commitment to deliver open-source innovations on the strategic z/OS platform. See IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go announcement for ordering information, or for additional product information, see IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go.
IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go makes available the very popular Go programming language for quickly building scalable applications on the z/OS platform. z/OS clients can take advantage of this growing technology on IBM Z to power digital transformation. Due to its easy to learn and understand syntax, IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go enables clients to access a wide variety of new talent for application development and modernization.
As clients embark on their cloud native journey on z/OS, IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go is essential for enabling new cloud workloads and connecting z/OS to their private cloud in a multi hybrid cloud environment. As global economic conditions continue to accelerate the need for businesses to focus on digital transformation, the demand for fast, secure, and modern cloud native applications on the platform continues to increase.
IBM Open Enterprise SDK for Go is available for zero license charge with optional Software Subscription and Support. If you wish to download a beta version of this compiler for evaluation, please contact James Tang, mfjtang@ca.ibm.com.
Article submitted by James Tang.
Where else to go
While the PlanetMainframe blog is the best place to learn about the latest in mainframe talk, there are several other places worth looking in at:
- IBM Developer Blog
- Dancing dinosaur
- Open Mainframe blog
- Longpela blog
- Mainframe on reddit
- Inside Tech Talk
- Mainframe Blog
- Planet DB2
- Planet Mainframe on reddit
- Planet Mainframe on Facebook