Generally I write about the latest technical updates to the i operating system as well as about existing features, and I plan to continue this throughout the coming year. I’ve got a long list of technical topics to write about this year, but wanted to start 2012 off with a non-technical blog.
While this blog post was written in 2012, and much has changed since that time, the three challenges listed below remain pertinent today, which is why I have kept this blog in the archive.
I pondered what to write about since it’s the start of a new year – I thought perhaps that a blog about looking forward, changing, and challenging ourselves would be appropriate.
2011 was a great year for IBM Power Systems as well as IBM i – Steve Will wrote about this at the end of last year in his Four Quarters of Growth for IBM i update.
With excellent momentum coming from 2011, it’s up to us in the i community to continue that momentum, to keep moving things forward. IBM has done a terrific job of delivering fantastic hardware with the POWER7 system lineup, and IBM i continues to be enhanced on an ongoing basis. Certainly IBM could do better at documentation and letting the world know about the great things that have been delivered, but various blogs and industry articles help fill in that space.
Forging ahead is good for our technical vitality. It’s in our own best interest to keep current on the features of the latest software releases and updates that are made available through technology refreshes and PTFs. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, holding back from change because maintaining the status quo is easy.
So I challenge my readers with three things:
- Do something this year to keep current with the latest technology.
If you are on 5.4 or earlier, make an effort to get on 6.1 or better yet 7.1. If you are 6.1 or 7.1, keep updated on the new features that are available. Learning about the latest features is great, but you might also discover things that can make your job easier.
Make an effort to attend local user group meetings or one of the large conferences that are available. Listen in on one of the many webcasts that are offered. Read industry newsletters, articles, and blogs. There are many options available for learning about what’s new (for you). - Participate!
As a reader of my blogs, please send comments either publicly or privately. (I try to reply to every comment or email I receive, although my reply may take time). If you have topics you would like to see written about, please let me know.
If you’d like to be a guest blogger on a topic, please contact me. I’m always looking for new topics and there are many areas that are beyond my expertise. - Promote i in a positive manner. We all know that i is a great OS – let’s be positive about our contributions this year and extend the momentum that started in 2011 to be even stronger in 2012.
Finally, in closing, I just want to make a simple observation – if i were to suddenly disappear tomorrow, the world as we know it would change significantly. So much of the world’s business runs on i, hidden away where it silently toils, day after day. Think about it….
This blog post was originally published on IBMSystemsMag.com and is reproduced here by permission of IBM Systems Media.