Month: January 2016

XPages runtime in Bluemix goes Beta

Marky Roden Bluemix, XPages, XPages in Bluemix

On January 21st IBM announced that the XPages Runtime as entering the beta release phase. The announcement was posted on developerworks By Brian Gleeson – https://developer.ibm.com/bluemix/2016/01/21/announcing-beta-release-ibm-xpages-runtime/ This signifies a very important milestone in the process of becoming a fully fledged member of the Bluemix family of capabilities.

What does Beta mean?

Well first of all the runtime now appears on the main catalog and no longer hidden in the experimental section. You can find it in the main catalog under Runtimes and when you create a new application is part of the list of runtimes available.

b1

b2

Beta also means that there is an expectation of reliability within the cloud. Going through the Beta phase means that although IBM are not fully committed to their SLAs for delivery quite yet, they are basically expecting the runtime to perform as if it was. This means a more reliable availability, and more importantly, IBM cannot just “make changes and take stuff down” as they feel like it. Being experimental means that there is no guarantee of it even being there tomorrow.

Beta means that we can start to talk to customers about it as a real possibility. Once again, Beta means that IBM is expecting people to actually start to create prototype applications which can be used in real discussions for Application Modernization and migration scenarios.

Beta means that the end goal initial release is now much clearer. Going through the experimental phase we have seen a large number of improvements and changes to both the runtime and the OpenNTF Extension Library releases support the programmatic interaction with it. IBM’s intention is to support a hybrid model with the release of XPage in Bluemix. Currently, we do not know the future of the XPagesNoSQL service but that is still experimental.

IBM is pressing forward with the release of the runtime and the Hybrid model. For more information on this, check out another post by Brian on YoutTube (https://youtu.be/WsjQ4hjJ10E). The Hybrid model means the ability to run a trusted server in the Bluemix container and having it securely interact with your Domino server(s) back within the corporate environment. This means the data and authentication model does not leave the company, while the runtime can be used to take advantage of all the cloud foundry capabilities like fail-over, multi-instance deployments and much more.

Beta means that this is real people – most of the investment by the XPages development team, under the guidance of Pete Janzen has been in preparing XPages for Bluemix. This is a significant step in the product evolution. I fully expect that more information will be released in the App.Next presentation to be given at Connect 2016. Hopefully the expected deadline for the full release date will be shared.

More announcements coming soon

For those of you going to Connect make sure you check out the sessions on the XPages runtime and Bluemix

1529: IBM Domino App.Next – Broadening Your Horizons with Bluemix

1075: The XPages of Things: Integrate Bluemix with Your XPages Applications for a World of Possibilities

PSC is hiring: XPages Senior Architect/Developer position

Marky Roden PSC, XPages

PSC is hiring – we are looking to add to our existing team of 10 XPages developers. The ideal candidate will be able to work directly on client engagements and interface with sales, marketing and consulting managers internally. The position is a great opportunity to work with and help to grow the largest XPage consultancy team in North America.

Please apply online: http://www.psclistens.com/careers/open-positions/

Due to the nature of some of the work, candidates must be situated within the United States.
Job Details
XPages Senior Architect (000782)
Job Number:  000782
Job Title:  XPages Senior Architect
Number of Openings:  1
Country:  United States
State/Province:  Illinois
City:  Chicago/Schaumburg
Salary Interval:  Per Year
Job Schedule:  Full Time
Job Category:  Computers/Information Technology
Position Description
PSC Group is an Information Technology and Business consulting firm that helps companies withstand the challenge of change. We specialize in the development of solutions that help our clients achieve their strategic business objectives.

We offer Full-Time opportunities for people who thrive in both a challenging and rewarding environment. With our world class Five Points of Excellence program, we set the foundation for success for our consultants by providing a clear vision. Whether that is from the technical standpoint, the consulting side of the business, or on the management side, we help our consultants achieve their goals. If you want to be part of an exciting opportunity with a company that is both an IBM Premier Partner and a Microsoft Gold Partner, contact us!

We are working, not only with cutting-edge technologies, but with some of the brightest, most talented consultants as well.

Candidates will be familiar with the oversight and implementation of enterprise XPages application deployments.  The successful applicant will interface with PSC Solution Directors and Sales Directors to provide analysis, insight and estimates for upcoming projects. Candidates must demonstrate experience and a broad understanding of customer relationship management.

 

Candidates outside of the Chicago area will be considered, however must be located in the United States of America.
Position Requirements
Required Skills

  • Broad experience in architecting, developing and delivering solutions utilizing IBM XPages
  • Experience with XPages extension library
  • Strong web development skills and experience utilizing Javascript libraries, JSON and Ajax
  • Take part in the full lifecycle of software development including; analysis, design, development, testing, documentation, and implementation.
  • Ability to effectively communicate to both technical and non-technical individuals at all levels throughout the organization.
  • Strong attention to detail with a focus on quality of work
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work well in a team or independently

 

Desired Skills:

  • Strong knowledge of Java and Java Server Faces (JSF)
  • Knowledge of responsive design and Twitter Bootstrap
  • Proven track record of success in consulting engagements

 

Benefits:

  • Full-time salaried position commensurate with experience
  • Comprehensive Benefit package, including 401(k) match
  • Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Opportunity to develop your career with our Five Points of Excellence Program
  • Company Dinner Meetings, Recreational Activities, and Rewards Programs
  • Billable Hours Bonus Program

 

Thank you for another great year, 2015

Marky Roden Just Marky

This post is a little later than in previous years, lots to reflect on.

My job has changed a lot this year, it has been quite an eye opener. It has been the best year of my professional career by far. I would love to be able to say that every year, but that is not always the case.

First of all I have to say a perverse thank you to Andrew Barickman for leaving PSC. His leaving has opened up new opportunities for me at PSC, not only in the XPages area but also outside of that. So having assumed Andrew’s XPages team responsibilities I can report a very successful end of year.

PSC now has a team of 10 XPage developers – TEN!! of which FIVE are IBM Champions. I am so proud of this team and the work they are putting out for our customers.

Thank you to John Quirk (my boss) for having the faith in me to be able to take over some of the XPages team responsibilities and to also allow me to broaden my technology reach and understanding to other areas within PSC.

Thanks have to go to John Head (6th PSC IBM Champion) who I have worked with very closely this year. The two of us work very well together in being able to identify opportunities, demonstrate capabilities and ultimately deliver solutions. John has helped me learn more about the sales process, sales pursuits and ultimately brought me closer to the PSC core which was always the point of me moving the Chicago.

Thank you to everyone who nominated me for IBM Champion again. It is a privilege, it really is. I have all the gear and I wear it proudly (not just at work either). It really means something to be, to be a champion and I will cherish it as long as they will keep having me 🙂

Thanks to Mark Leusink for sharing the stage with me at Connect this year. Going down the Angular path back in 2014 was a very shrew decision for me and has allowed me to look at project architecture very differently ever since.

Thanks to Ryan Baxter for sharing the stage with me at MWLUG – remotely controlling an IoT Drone from an XPage is still IMHO the coolest XPages demo ever 🙂

Thanks to Pete Janzen, Martin Donnelley and the dev team in Ireland for working with me/PSC on the Bluemix XPages implementation and giving Toby and I the chance to speak with them on the topic.

Thanks to SocialBizUg for giving me the opportunity to join their team of content creators as the Clipping magazine guru guidance writer.

Thanks to all my co-conspirators on Twitter and Skype who make the day job even more enjoyable and keep me grounded – you know who you are 🙂

Thanks to David Leedy without whom none of this would have been possible starting 4 years ago.

Here’s to 2016 – already working on new opportunities and looking to hire more exceptional developers 🙂