In 2025, Planet Mainframe celebrated a decade of amplifying the world’s mainframe voices. What began 10 years ago as a part-time blog evolved into a trusted hub for industry news, deep technical insight, and highlighting the people shaping enterprise IT.
Fittingly, the articles you read most this year reflected that same progress: grounded in experience, focused on people, and unafraid to tackle hard questions.
In 2025, the Planet Mainframe articles you spent the most time with weren’t defined by publication date or topic. What united them was relevance.
Taken together, your favorite reads worked to answer questions swirling in the industry:
- Is the platform still relevant?
- What does mainframe relevancy mean for my career?
- How do I explain costs, performance, and risk to others?
- What happens when the ecosystem shifts?
Here’s what caught your interest.
Platform Relevance Leads
The most-read article of the year, 8 Generative AI Use Cases for the Mainframe, points to a clear priority: understanding how the mainframe fits with emerging technology, specifically, grounded AI use cases. For instance, The Next-Gen AIOps Doctor Is In: Diagnosing Mainframe Issues Quickly and Intelligently.
The same themes of how and why mainframes rule the business world showed up repeatedly. The Relevance of Mainframe and The IBM Mainframe: The Most Powerful and Cost-Effective Computing Platform for Business drew your interest.
You weren’t asking if the mainframe still matters; as the experts, you know nothing competes with its transaction volume and mission-critical work. However, you asked what the mainframe of tomorrow looks like, and how to gain the skills and maintain the language to explain its integral legacy.
You Want Real Workforce Training and Skills Pathways
Career optimism without a plan is only a wish, so it was no surprise that stories about real skill-building and hiring with measurable outcomes caught your attention. The number one topic of interest in 2025 was workforce and talent.
For example, Free Training, a Real Mainframe, and Top Skills—Meet the EMMA Apprenticeship Program stood out because it described a tangible pipeline: training on real systems, aligned with real employer needs.
That theme echoed in The Future of Mainframe Careers Is Bright, but the strongest workforce stories focused on specific programs and people working diligently to create the next generation of mainframe employees. Articles like Can You Future-Proof Mainframe IT Careers? Scott McFall Says Yes drew major interest.
You can watch other professionals talk about about career development on Planet Mainframe’s new YouTube channel. Plus, Planet Mainframe’s Job Board offers free postings for entry-level positions and sponsored jobs for hard-to-recruit roles.
Clarity Wins
Some of the strongest performing reads in 2025 were neither opinion pieces nor mainframe apologetics. Instead, the articles explained unique technical elements with pragmatism and accessibility.
You spent time exploring content such as How Well Is Your Mainframe Outsourcer Managing Capacity and Performance? Understanding MIPS and MSU and Learning from SMF: Managing Db2 Buffer Pools. Both articles slowed things down and winnowed complex topics into understandable language.
The same holds for What’s in a Name? The Untold Story of Db2 for z/OS’s COPYTOCOPY Utility. Your curiosity shone through in a desire to understand the decisions that shape systems and how choices and innovation scale over time.
You reveled in technical clarity. This goes doubly true for all the new — and returning — Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter subscribers. Details for days.
When Disruption Hits, You Lean In
Additionally, many of the most-read articles of 2025 focused on disruption, risk, or change through a lens of analysis.
Pieces like Sabre Is Getting Off the Mainframe—One Way or Another and IBM’s to Discontinue zPDT Threatens Mid-Tier ISV Market resonated because they addressed uncomfortable realities head-on.
Scenario-driven content such as A Global Blackout Plunges the World into Darkness—Then What?, and reflections like Death of the Mainframe, drew attention for the same reason: they explored consequences, not just headlines.
And when IBM announced z17, you dove into the details with It’s Here: IBM Introduces z17 Mainframe with Integrated AI Capabilities.
In each case, you weren’t looking to panic; you’re a curious professional. You wondered, What if?, and What now?
What Your Reading Choices Say
Looking across the most-read Planet Mainframe articles of 2025, we know you better now.
You’re investing attention in clarity, relevance, and long-term thinking about technology, careers, and the ecosystem that connects them. Even as AI and modernization dominate industry conversations, you’re reading to gain knowledge and understanding.
Next Steps
Join us for new content in 2026 that’s attuned to your thoughts and interests. Have something to share? Want us to get the scoop? We welcome your suggestions and contributions! Email info@planetmainframe.com. A real person will reply.
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