Top 5 Mainframe Modernization stories
Topics of most interest to mainframe leaders in 2022
As we reflect on accomplishments of the past year and goals for the coming one, understanding which topics peers are exploring can be helpful.
Overall, modernization has become a pressing issue for mainframe leaders as Enterprise DevOps raises expectations for software velocity, while many career mainframers are retiring creating a skills gap. The purpose of the Modern Mainframe blogsite is to equip readers with insights to help them address these challenges and the extraordinary volume of traffic it receives illustrates the urgency.
The broad range of opportunities can seem overwhelming so a Roadmap to AppDev Modernization toolkit [ebook] [site], which showcases 15 use cases delivering substantial ROI with short to medium implementation timelines, is now available. These use cases demonstrate the value of modernization to your organization.
So, as we look ahead, let’s commit to making the mainframe an even more robust platform — a platform of YES — and a more compelling career choice for the next generation.
Thank you to all the authors who contributed such amazing content in 2022! Now, without further ado, let’s count down the most-read articles:
Versioning, Managing and Automating Db2 DDL Changes with Endevor
This article reflects the growing interest in DevOps for Db2. Author John Benbow published a series of articles on this topic, including this one which stood out. This series can be easily accessed and shared with colleagues via the Database tab.
Endevor provides an uncomplicated way to store schema data — such as DDL — in the same way as code, enabling developers to make schema changes without needing to send a request to a mainframe DBA.
All-in-one VS Code Experience for Mainframe Developers
Developers LOVE Visual Studio Code. Its ease of use and extensibility have set a new standard that developers are embracing across platforms and languages. The most impactful way to attract and onboard the next generation of developers is to equip them with VS Code. Author Lukas Zima summarizes Code4z, the VS Code extension pack developers use to edit, compile and debug mainframe code with ease. Code4z is available in the marketplace and a range of related articles is available on the VS Code / Code4z tab.
Mainframe DevOps Award goes to Zowe!!!
Woohoo! The most exciting innovation in the mainframe space in a generation was recognized with a DevOps Dozen award last year (and, BTW, it’s a finalist this year too). The Zowe open source community continues to expand the framework into an even more robust and wide-ranging modernization launchpad.
Broadcom, IBM and Rocket Software joined together with the Linux Foundation’s Open Mainframe Project to introduce the Zowe framework in 2018. Since then, the framework has expanded, the ecosystem had grown and adoption has flourished — it has proven to be a real game-changer.
Don’t forget, Zowe has its own publication with lots of great content.
Build a COBOL/CICS Application with 30 Lines of Script Code
Why so popular? In addition to a step-by-step walkthrough of a simple build script, author Chong Zhou demonstrates the power of Team Build, including the powerful JavaScript interpreter. It provides useful built-in modules, with which you can almost do anything on z/OS. Take a moment to see why this article came in at #2!
And now, the top story of 2022….
The HUGE number of readers reflects the widespread interest in Git adoption. In many ways, Git paves the way for a host of other use cases, including 6 of the 15 identified in the Roadmap toolkit. The Broadcom team has prepared a wide range of resources to facilitate Git adoption, which is available on the Endevor site. Additional articles, including ones featuring Bride for Git and Team Build, are available on the Git / Endevor tab. Whether using GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket or Azure Repos, there’s a solution for you.
And don’t miss Peter Wassel’s complementary article, “Why Git for Mainframe?”, on the SHARE site.
We look forward to another year of partnership as, together, we build the mainframe for the next generation! If there’s a topic you’d like covered in this publication, just let us know.
