January 22 Izzi Software Roundtable: What It Means to Be a Mainframe Developer in 2026
In 2026, the role of the mainframe developer will undergo a profound transformation. Once seen as the guardians of foundational computing systems, today’s mainframe professionals are at the heart of digital innovation, bridging the gap between tradition and the future. Mainframe teams are leaner than ever, requiring each developer to wear multiple hats. The days […]
From Batch to Real-Time: Debugging z/OS Applications with CDF Sessions
Understanding CDF Sessions CDF sessions create a unique debugging environment for batch jobs and started tasks. When you initiate a CDF session, z/XDC starts your program under its control and then waits for a developer to connect. This waiting state allows you to debug batch processes without requiring immediate interactive access, perfect for scenarios where […]
Why Your Mainframe Modernization Project Is Riskier Than You Think
Most modernization projects fail the same way: they start rebuilding before they understand what they’re rebuilding. I see this constantly. A new CTO joins, looks at 40-year-old COBOL code, and declares “we’re getting off the mainframe.” The next thing you know, they’ve hired a team of Java developers to rewrite everything for the cloud. Three […]
Frank Chu Of Colesoft
Frank Chu, Senior Software Engineer at ColeSoft, was recently elected to join the board of SHARE, an independent volunteer-run information technology association that provides education, professional networking and industry influence for the enterprise IT community. Frank shares his thoughts about his new role – and the role of SHARE in the mainframe community. How did […]
Let’s Stop Apologizing!
IBM i an Z are at the heart of western technology… let’s acknowledge it I’ve spent almost my entire career working in the IBM Z and Power environments and almost every conversation I have with non-mainframers involves playing defense. I can’t count the number of times people have asked me, “are those things still around?” […]
5 Ways to Start a z/XDC Debugging Session: A Developer’s Quick Reference
Debugging mainframe applications requires flexibility in how you initiate your debugging environment. z/XDC provides five distinct methods to start debugging sessions, each tailored to different scenarios and workflows. Let’s walk through all five options and help you figure out which approach fits your specific situation best. Method 1: The ISPF Startup Panel The z/XDC startup […]
When Your IBM i Server is the Last System Standing: Lessons from Ransomware Survivors
Richard Malone from CNX has heard this story at least twice in the last five years. A customer calls with that particular mix of relief and disbelief in their voice. “We had a ransomware attack. Everything’s encrypted – the Windows servers, the file shares, even some of the backups. But the IBM i is still […]
The Hidden Cost of Failed Modernization: Why Screen Scrapers Don’t Cut It
Back in 2006, Richard Malone at CNX started what should have been a simple project. Their Atomic software was running manufacturing shop floors across the country, but it still had that old-school terminal interface. Time to modernize. He acquired and installed four or five different modernization tools from the leading vendors. They all promised the […]
Why Your Debugger Matters More in the AI Era
AI-generated code promises to revolutionize development: write a prompt, get working code, ship faster. The reality looks different. AI produces code that compiles, runs, and does something. Whether it does what you actually need is another question entirely. The training data problem AI learns from the code available on the internet. That includes elegant solutions […]
Building a Successful Holding Company
In theory, few things in the business world should be easier than setting up a holding company. Just file the right documents and pay a small fee, and in a matter of minutes you have a legal entity under which other businesses exist. Pretty simple, right? Of course, the reality is nothing like that because […]