In this lesson we are going to download IBM Bob – that shiny new AI-powered coding partner from IBM that actually understands RPG, CL, SQLRPGLE, and your full IBM i codebase.
Bob sits right inside a VS Code-based IDE and acts like a smart programming buddy who can explain legacy code, refactor fixed-format RPG to free-format, generate SQL, modernize your applications, and generally make your life a whole lot easier.
Before we jump into the download and setup steps, let me quickly run through the pricing tiers so you know exactly what you are getting.
- You can start with the free 30-day trial which gives you 40 Bobcoins to play with. That is plenty to test Bob on real IBM i work and see how much you like him.
- After the trial, the plans are simple and based around Bobcoins (the units that measure how much AI power you use):
- $20 per month gets you 40 Bobcoins going forward – perfect if you just want occasional help.
- $60 per month gives you 160 Bobcoins – this is the sweet spot and best for most regular programmers who use Bob a few times a week.
- $200 per month loads you up with 500 Bobcoins – ideal for the extreme programmers who are hammering Bob hard every day on big modernization projects.
All the plans work the same way during the trial, so you can try before you buy with no credit card needed upfront.
Right, with that out of the way, let us get Bob downloaded and installed on your machine so you can start using him straight away.
Stick with me and I will walk you through every click. Let us crack on.