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IBM i BOB v2.0 was released June 24, 2026 – just one day before my birthday! Coincidence? I don’t think so 😉 IBM BOB TWO is a major rebuild of IBM’s AI-powered development partner. It focuses on speed, agentic capabilities, and better enterprise workflows, with a dedicated Premium Package for i that brings IBM i-specific …
I was just happily working away and VSCODE (and IBM BOB) popped up this message: “YIKES!!!” I thought. Yes. I do still think in 100 year old English language style… By Jove! But don’t worry, a quick search and I found this to ease my fears: So, simply uninstall the Source Orbit Extension and get …
IBM i, Programming, RPG, SQL
If you have ever written a tidy little subprocedure that does some embedded SQL, then checked SQLCODE afterwards only to find it stubbornly sitting at zero even though the statement clearly failed, you have probably met this gotcha. Today we are going to answer three questions that trip up plenty of IBM i developers: Spoiler: …
SQLRPGLE – A Sortable Subfile with Column Headings and Search using RTNCSRLOC If you have been following the subfile series, you will know we already have a solid working example in the SORTSFLBOB program. Now it is time to add the finishing touches that make it feel properly modern. Let’s go with the assumption that …
Code Modernization, Upgrading, Refactoring with an AI Coding Companion – Which to use? I have been playing with a little experiment this week and I thought I would share the results while they are still fresh. The star of the show is a classic little RPGLE subfile program I wrote years ago, it’s languished in …
The 3am Wake-Up Call You Didn’t Need: Service Account Password Expiration If your web services or overnight batch jobs have ever thrown a wobbly because a password decided to expire at the worst possible moment, you are not alone. On IBM i systems, password expiration is one of those security features that works brilliantly for …
Mapepire on My IBM i System: Finally Database Connections That Dont Make Me Want to Scream into the Void! Picture this: you are building a slick modern app and you just want it to chat nicely with Db2 for i without wrestling ancient ODBC drivers or wrestling with client libraries that feel older than your …
Mapepire, a type of pit viper native to South America, is IBM’s new interface layer for IBM-i. Mapepire boasts a logo that’s arguably the best creation from Big Blue since the original IBM emblem. As for how to say it, IBM-i Mapepire GitHub says Mapepire is pronounced ‘mapəpɪə’ or ‘MAH-pup-ee’ which seems nonsense to me! I’ve …
TOBi Builder MAKEi Fails with BLEUUURGH Error Code – A Quick Debugging Tale Hey there, fellow IBM i programmers. Today we’re diving into a real-world head-scratcher I hit while working with TOBi (the IBM i Object Builder) and its MAKEi component. If you’ve ever tried to compile from your local source copies and instead of …
DISCLAIMER: This is not my usual style of programming video. It’s long format, lots of me muttering at the camera while trying to fix some RPG code. I started recording with no idea if it would work or not. Spoiler – it did in the end. Also featuring an AI generated video, a growling version …
Why do IBM i ACS 5250 characters suddenly look like they’re auditioning for a modern art exhibit whenever Font Scaling is enabled? If you fire up Access Client Solutions on a modern high resolution monitor and find yourself squinting at blurry text in your 5250 sessions, you are not alone. Those crisp green screens that …
Perhaps the question is really “Is using AI to write code, or at least using AI as a coding assistant, the Future of IBM i Development?“ Well, I reckon AI is absolutely going to be a big part of the future for IBM i development, but it‘s not (yet) able to wave a magic wand …
