Broadcom extends next-gen Kubernetes-native IDE to mainframe
Broadcom is continuously building solutions to bridge the mainframe world with the latest modern technology. Now, a new addition to this solution portfolio has been made available to you.
It is my great pleasure to introduce Eclipse Che4z — a project contributed to the Eclipse Foundation by Broadcom that extends Eclipse Che with new ways how a developer can work with mainframe and keep using his favorite IDE.
Let me break down the name Che4z for you.
Che:
Che 7 is a web-based IDE running on the latest Kubernetes technology that provides an in-browser VS Code experience. Kubernetes container orchestration is becoming a crucial platform to deliver open-source cloud development technologies. The great advantage a browser IDE has in comparison with standard desktop IDEs is that this development environment is managed centrally on one server and maintained by the administrator for the whole company. The developer does not need to take care of upgrades or managing extensions and settings. All that needs to be done is to log in and start working since all the components for the project are already set up.
4z:
Broadcom is one of the founding members of the Mainframe Open Source project Zowe — a modern interface to interact with z/OS that allows users to work with z/OS in a way that is similar to what they experience on cloud platforms today.
You may have already heard about Broadcom projects like Brightside (the Broadcom commercial version for Zowe support) and CA Endevor® Bridge for Git, both of which also provide interaction with z/OS environment.
Broadcom wants to support the expansion of new tools that interface with the mainframe even beyond Zowe. Broadcom has created the Eclipse Che stack which contains Zowe CLI and its plugins and five new components — Zowe Explorer, COBOL Language Support, HLASM Language Support, Debugger for Mainframe and Explorer for Endevor.
Since Eclipse Che version 7.6.0, Che4z stack is part of the IDE by default with no additional installation.
For earlier Che versions please check the documentation for the installation steps at:
https://www.eclipse.org/che/docs/che-7/che4z-installing/
With this installation, anybody at your site can start using the MF stack extensions right away from the browser.
Going Open Source!
But there is more than that. After you give it a try, you may feel that you want to be involved even more than just providing us with feedback. In that case, I have good news for you. Broadcom is contributing Eclipse Che4z as an open-source subproject to Eclipse Che. Developers in and outside of Broadcom organization can start to contribute and include their own desired enhancements right away. The intent is to speed up the project evolution in a significant way. You are all welcome to join the Che4z community and contribute to this ambitious project!
At the moment, the Eclipse Che4z project contains four open-source components — Zowe Explorer, Explorer for Endevor, COBOL Language Support and HLASM Language Support. Those extensions provide access to resources on z/OS, CA Endevor® and smart editing support for COBOL and HLASM, the most prominent languages on the mainframe.
Broadcom wants to provide maximum freedom for developers. Therefore everything built for Eclipse Che will support the most popular IDE among developers — Visual Studio Code. So if that is your preference, you can find our extensions on VSC Marketplace. Now it comes as a package Code4z.
If you ever heard that Broadcom is changing the mainframe industry, now with Eclipse Che4z being open source it may be YOU who will be changing the Game.
Welcome aboard!
To become a contributor, please proceed to the following links.
Zowe Explorer
Explorer for Endevor
COBOL Language Support
HLASM Language Support
Stay in touch with us, join us on Slack!
