Welcome to another edition of Talsco Weekly

Trends: Application Performance Management comes to the IBM i. What are Microservices? The IBM i is transforming business.
History: IBM computer commercials with cast from MASH. The “Lost” IBM AS/400 (iseries, powersystem i).
Development: What is Next.js?

Trends

Application Performance Management comes to the IBM i

As the IBM i modernizes and starts implementing cloud-native applications utilizing container technologies, such as Kubernetes, there is a need to get a better handle on application performance. Thus, APM (Application Performance Management) solutions are becoming necessary. A potential solution that IBM i shops may look to is an IBM tool called Instana. IBM acquired Instana back in late 2020.

Instana helps “make sense of your chaotic cloud-native environments.”

I think one of the key takeaways from this article is that IBM quickly implemented support for the IBM i within Instana. It shows the value that IBM sees in the IBM i and its community.

Learn more about Instana’s product offering.

What are Microservices?

“Microservices architecture is an application model in which individual components and functions are separated into different containers, or clusters, so they can operate and scale independently.”

APIs are then leveraged to connect these services. Microservices and APIs can sometimes be confused, however, they actually serve a connected but very different purpose.

This article is a great read for the IBM i Developer of tomorrow.

The IBM i is transforming business

A comparison: Microservices & Monolithic architecture.

“Microservice architecture represents a distinct departure from the traditional monolithic structure. Each structure has its own utility and unique strengths when it comes to building software applications.

“The core difference between the two structures is that monolithic applications house all of their functions in a single structure that is based on one relational database while microservices split individual functions into different containers.”

Both have their place and come with their own advantages and disadvantages.

History

IBM computer commercials with cast from MASH

I came across this vintage TV advertisement about the Applications System 400.

“It gives you the solutions you need today and can grow like no other system can. You can upgrade it without having to replace it. The money you spend on software training and equipment will keep working, no matter how big things get.”

The “Lost” IBM AS/400 (iseries, powersystem i)

I have heard many stories similar this one. Do you have a similar story?

Development

What is Next.js?

The IBM i community, over the past several years, has started to embrace Node.js, an open-source, cross-platform, back-end, JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to produce dynamic web page content.

So, what’s “Next.js“?

Next.js is an open-source web development framework that sits on top of Node.js.

If you are interested in staying up with the emerging technology, watch the story of Next.js. It is a great history of the web and the evolution of web technologies.

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