System iNetwork

June 2008

June 24, 2008 9:33 AM

The Hidden Riches of eBay

In case you missed it, eBay has taken a major step forward to help businesses that rely on the site for sales, in addition to helping support third-party software vendors. According to eBay, the newly offered Project Echo will let developers "integrate applications in Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro, eBay's most popular tools for managing selling activities. The eBay seller community will benefit from a streamlined and trusted site experience with access to advanced selling tools that meet their specific needs. Developers will benefit by integrating, promoting, and monetizing third-party applications on the world's largest e-commerce site."

In other words, the new service will let developers sell their third-party software applications directly to eBay merchandisers via the auction site. Traditionally, eBay users have had two options for running their stores: buy software offered by eBay (and created by eBay) or buy software off the eBay grid from another developer. So even though eBay's Selling Manager subscription service has always sold eBay businesses the software they need, third-party developers have never before had direct access to buyers. Now, Project Echo lets developers embed programs directly where eBay sellers are already managing their online businesses.

The new tool promises to help developers every step of the way by integrating the third-party apps seamlessly into the eBay-offered apps so there will be no favoritism, by promoting new apps to appropriate buyers, and by managing communications between the buyer and the developer.

Project Echo will include helpful APIs such as a trading API, which offers authenticated access to private eBay data to enable automation and innovation in the areas of listing items, retrieving seller sales status, managing post-transaction fulfillment, and managing private eBay user information such as My eBay and Feedback details. Shopping, merchandising, research, pricing, and client alert APIs are also available, among several others. If you aren't sure which API you need, just check with the "API By Feature" finder.

All these APIs will let developers access eBay's information about how and when buyers purchase as well as how and what sellers sell in order to serve customers with programs suited to their needs.

After an application has been approved by the Project Echo team, developers can publish their application within eBay's Selling Manager, and sellers can discover the application and subscribe to the appropriate tool.

Just so you know, this is for everyone, even System i junkies -- the programs can be written in multiple languages, including PHP and Java.

So just because you are not on eBay selling your grandma's collectible teapots doesn't mean you can't make a boatload off the auction website.

--Erin Bradford, Systems Management & Availability Editor

Posted by ebradford on June 24, 2008 at 9:33 AM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2008 2:23 PM

What does Sun’s Acquisition of MySQL Mean for System i Users?

Earlier this year, Sun (www.sun.com) saw a chance to capture the warmth emanating from the popular open source database company, MySQL. And in what should be a solid investment, Sun purchased MySQL for about $1 billion. But is IBM, which also had been cozying up to the warmth of MySQL by working with the company to add support for the open source database to System i and other platforms, feeling a little bit of cool air since Sun, an IBM competitor, stole the heat source that is MySQL? How will Sun's acquisition affect our System i community? Well, I contacted Eileen Burgess, an Alliance Manager for MySQL, and asked her a few questions regarding Sun’s purchase of MySQL to find out more.

Q: Is the potential for using MySQL with i5/OS the same now as it was in the past?
A: Absolutely. MySQL is an important part of the IBM strategy for providing open source software on i. The available solutions built on open source software continue to grow.

Q: Is it going to go further in the future?
A: Yes. We are currently working on testing the current version of MySQL to the new IBM i 6.1 (formerly i5/OS V6R1).

Q: Is MySQL integrated with DB2/400? Will it be? If so, when?
A: Not yet. We are jointly working with IBM on integrating the DB2 Storage Engine with the MySQL code. We are currently testing this new combination. So, we don't have a release date yet.

Q: Are there any plans to change the MySQL offering for the new IBM i operating system?
A: Yes, we have plans to introduce a DB2 Storage Engine for MySQL. In addition, we are continuing to enhance the MySQL products for all platforms.

Q: What are your thoughts or comments regarding what the Sun purchase means for i5/OS users?
A: Sun and IBM already enjoy a long relationship on a number of platforms, including Java. So Sun software running on IBM platforms and IBM software running on Sun systems is nothing new. Both companies are committed to (and excited about) this MySQL/System i relationship. In addition, MySQL can now leverage the resources of a larger experienced enterprise vendor to better serve the i5/OS users.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to note?
A: Sun is the largest commercial contributor of code to the open source community. Together, we will continue to pioneer free and open source solutions and build communities to power innovation and sharing. Sun is committed to the continued development of MySQL's solutions on a wide range of platforms. We will continue supporting the popular technologies that MySQL users are familiar with including Linux, Windows, Solaris, Unix, Mac OS/X, AIX and i, Java, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, C++, C#, Visual Studio, EC2 and more!

So, it seems that for now, we have nothing to worry about and that MySQL will continue to be a productive resource for System i users.

--Cassandra Deemer, Editorial Assistant

Posted by cdeemer on June 16, 2008 at 2:23 PM | Comments (3)

June 9, 2008 10:19 AM

From the Mouths (and Hands) of Babes...

VAI (Vormittag Associates) has partnered with Stony Brook University’s Center of Excellence in Wireless & Information Technology (CEWIT) to gain a valuable edge in the vendor market. Through the agreement, Stony Brook computer science graduate students will aid VAI in the development of several WebSphere e-commerce applications. Stony Brook’s graduate students have already designed several web portal applications that will be added to VAI’s S2K Commerce Express software package.

VAI Vice President Russ Cereola says, “Stony Brook University is a world-renowned educational institution, and VAI is privileged to have access to some of the brightest minds in information technology today. The CEWIT partnership has allowed VAI to develop several advanced IBM WebSphere portal applications that will be available to our customers at no additional cost. VAI understands that the best way to stay abreast of current technology trends is to utilize those with the most up-to-date knowledge, and this partnership has allowed us to do just that.”

One major edge that VAI has over other product vendors: fresh new ideas stemming from a team of workers who can go days without sleep and only need a couple of Red Bulls for payment. No, really, students will get a lot out of the deal, too: actual experience and a better shot at a job after graduation.

On another positive note, CEWIT’s new building, which opens next month, adds 90 new research labs and a million square feet of active research and development lab space. I hope that is a good sign for the i development world of the future…
You can view the full release here.

--Erin Bradford, systems management & availability editor

Posted by ebradford on June 9, 2008 at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

June 3, 2008 10:27 AM

It's the Real Deal: Imtech Acquires REAL Solutions

A European company has crossed the English Channel to purchase a System i-minded UK company, and both businesses are excited about what this means to their customers.

Imtech, a technical services provider in Europe, has acquired REAL Solutions, a UK System i hardware and software company that was named IBM Rational Software Business Partner of the Year in 2007. The acquisition offers Imtech a base for further growth in electrical and mechanical engineering as well as information and communication technology. The pairing also reinforces Imtech’s position as an IBM and Microsoft business partner. REAL's portfolio has established it as one of the top three UK System i partners based on IBM revenue. In addition, REAL operates across national boundaries with software consultancy and hardware implements often designed in one country but delivered in others.

"All IBM systems will be kept in the portfolio," reports Pieter Koenders, manager of corporate communications for Imtech. "REAL Solutions is delivering all IBM solutions related to high availability, storage and virtualization, and all power and modular systems, including software and Services-Oriented Architecture (SOA)," he adds.

Steve Green, REAL Solutions' sales and marketing director, says the acquisition is an opportunity to build stronger and more valuable relations with suppliers and customers alike. "Access to the combined resources of Imtech's information and communications technology business strengthens our ability to deliver and affords our customers a quicker return on their investments with us and IBM," Green reports.

Koenders says REAL is keeping its own locations near London and Manchester. REAL and Imtech are operating separately but sharing clients. "REAL will also cooperate with IBM specialists from Imtech in the Netherlands and Germany to be able to give more added values to its customers," he notes. "REAL will also be able to profit from the wide Imtech network of clients."

From one contact point, Imtech covers the entire chain from consultancy and design to implementation, maintenance, and management. The company employs approximately 18,000 people and earns annual revenue of more than 3.3 billion euro.

The purchase price (including earn-out) was based on six times the EBITA, and Imtech paid in cash. "The acquisition will contribute directly to the profit per share," Koenders says.

Imtech, which has more than 200 offices in Europe, occupies strong positions in the building, industry, infrastructure marine, and telecom markets in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. The company ranks in the top five in the global marine technology market and has a worldwide network of more than 50 support offices along the major shipping routes in virtually every continent.

--Vicki Hamende, application development & database editor

Posted by vhamende on June 3, 2008 at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

June 2, 2008 9:36 AM

Captcha Cracking?

Doubtless, you've encountered crazy, warped "captcha" letters such as these on various websites. Perhaps, like System iNetwork, you even use the bot-deterring, spam-foiling tool to prevent "pollution" in your company's forums, blogs, and other places users can enter content.

Well, chalk one up for the bots and spammers, who have apparently begun cracking captchas on some well-known websites, according to a podcast in American Public Media's May 30 Future Tense column. I don't know about you, but despite the fact that captchas annoy me, I appreciate their intent. I know that they've helped prevent a lot of spam -- though not all -- in the System iNetwork forums, blogs, and reader-comment areas.

What's next if captcha is no longer effective? The podcast mentions image captchas. Have you encountered those? I have, on my local newspaper's website of all places. If those get cracked, too, what does that mean not only for "web 2.0," but "web 3.0"? Will the spammers win?

--Linda Harty, security & networking/connectivity editor

Posted by lharty on June 2, 2008 at 9:36 AM | Comments (0)