Rocket Software Opens Access to Mainframe Programming

Waltham, MA — August 11, 2016—Rocket Software, Inc. (www.rocketsoftware.com) today announced the availability of 30 free open source tools and languages for IBM zSystems mainframes that allow programmers to work on mainframe computers without knowing COBOL or assembly language. These ported versions of popular development tools and programming languages have been modified to operate on IBM z13 and z13s systems, allowing developers to take advantage of mainframe programs and applications. All 30 open source tools and languages are available to customers running z/OS, and are supported on z/OS 1.12 and above.

The open source tools are especially relevant for younger programmers, many of whom have little experience on mainframes. “If you can program in Python, PERL, or any other common language, you can use a mainframe with zero friction,” says Sarah Hall-Swan, a summer intern at Rocket who is using mainframes this summer for the first time. “I thought it would be really difficult to learn, but the tools make it really easy to use these systems.”

“Companies need to be able to integrate their mainframe data in real-time to stay ahead of the competition and adjust to customer needs,” said Mike Desens, vice president, offering management, IBM zSystems and LinuxONE. “With tools to access data in many formats on z Systems, developers can generate insights from these rich data sets to take meaningful business actions.”

Organizations around the world are already using Rocket open source tools for z/OS to leverage their mainframe. One such user is the Met Office, which provides weather forecasting services for the United Kingdom. “Rocket open source tools for z/OS have accelerated solution delivery, saving months of effort,” says Martyn Catlow, Infrastructure & Operations Architect at the Met Office. “Many hours of programming and weeks of testing have been saved, and a consistent application architecture has been enabled by being able to easily deploy technologies our developers are familiar with.”

To download the tools, visit http://www.rocketsoftware.com/ported-tools.

About Rocket Software

Rocket Software (www.rocketsoftware.com) is a technology company that helps organizations in the IBM ecosystem build solutions that meet today’s needs while extending the value of their technology investments for the future. Thousands of companies depend on Rocket to solve their most challenging business problems by helping them run their critical infrastructure, business processes, and data, as well as extend those assets to take advantage of cloud, mobile, analytics, and other future innovations. Founded in 1990, Rocket is based in Waltham, Massachusetts with locations in Europe, Asia, and Australia.

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