This month: System z, WebSphere Business Modeler, Linux, z/OS, Java EE, WebSphere Application Server, component programming model, ITCAM for SOA, business process management, chargeback models, PCI DSS, mainframe, WebSphere Message Broker, security, XFDL, IBM SOA Foundation, WebSphere Virtual Enterprise, Lotus Forms, problem determination, SSH, and WebSphere MQ
In this issue of the IBM® WebSphere® Developer Technical Journal, everything old is new again. Not only is the mainframe back and as viable than ever, its influence is spreading into more "contemporary" technologies, as paper forms become electronic, and batch processing is interpreted into Java scripts. There's also some great information on fundamental problem solving, a wishful piece on WebSphere MQ security, and a lot of advice on cross-product integration.
Featured articles: Do you pick Linux, z/OS, or both? Also, bring forms into your BPM applications, learn how to bring a shared infrastructure into your enterprise, run Java scripts offline, and bring in Tivoli Composite Application Manager to manage your SOA solution.
Recurring columns: Work towards a more systematic approach to problem determination with The Support Authority, and see how security standards could affect WebSphere MQ in Mission: Messaging.
Guest columnists:Stefan Hepper helps you decide between servlets, portlets, and widgets.
When you encounter a new problem, how do you decide what to do? Where do you start and what do you look for? If troubleshooting runs you ragged, then what you probably need is a methodology for problem determination. Working with problems is about dealing with the unknown and unexpected, and so it will probably never be an exact science -- but its not rocket science either. By following the recommendations and techniques outlined in this article, you can make your problem solving work more organized, systematic, and, in the end, more effective and rewarding.
When it comes to WebSphere MQ, what is considered "reasonable care" or "due diligence" in the absence of a formal security standard? This article explores how the PCI Data Security Standard might be applied to WebSphere MQ both inside and outside the payment card industry to answer this question.
"Things are currently moving in the Web component programming model and it is not always easy to select the best technology for a given use case. In my simple view of the world today, I would use servlets for creating non-UI-based services, portlets for UI-based business applications, and widgets for the mashup use cases. Of course, that simple view can be distorted by reality in many ways...."
In this new regular feature, The WebSphere Contrarian answers questions, provides guidance, and otherwise discusses fundamental topics related to the use of WebSphere products, often dispensing field-proven advice that contradicts prevailing wisdom.
In each column, The EJB Advocate presents the gist of a typical back-and-forth dialogue exchange with actual customers and developers in the course of recommending a solution to an interesting design issue.
All about WebSphere sMash by Jason McGee, Roland Barcia, Rob Nicholson, Todd Kaplinger, Dan Jemiolo and Brandon Smith
This moderated chat discussed WebSphere sMash, the new platform for building and running dynamic Web 2.0-based applications based on Project Zero, and topics such as application-centric runtime, community-based development, situational applications, scripting languages, REST, Groovy, PHP, Dojo, mashups, and more.
