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Community - Java Success Stories "Our organization has a mission statement that is very clear: Provide high quality products at a low cost, with low risk and low complexity. The client/server paradigm simply did not fit with our mission. From our point of view, Java and the Network Station are inarguably the ideal solution to our need for application redesign. We are pursuing this direction aggressively and were doing so even before IBM committed its vast resources to Java. We couldn't be more delighted with the future we see as a result of these new technologies and the inertia that IBM offers by putting its weight behind these products."

-- Paul Mickelsen, Chief Executive Officer, Island Pacific Systems Corporation

Company: Island Pacific Systems Corporation
Location: Irvine, California
Industry: Computer Software & Services
URL: http://www.islandpacific.com

Business Concern
Island Pacific's retail software solution is delivered on the AS/400 platform and consists of 3.6 million lines of RPG legacy code -- some of it 20 years old. In 1994, this code had been modernized to be graphical, thanks to GUI/400, and all workstation applications are now Web-enabled through IBM's Workstation Gateway. But, these stop-gap measures weren't a final solution. Paul Mickelsen, CEO of Island Pacific, and his team were feeling the pressure to rewrite their user-interface applications for a client/server environment, but Mickelsen strongly resisted this work effort... occasionally fending off the label of "laggard." His concerns were strong: The client/server platform was proving to involve high costs, high reliability risk, and high complexity. Just because client/server was the fashionable technology of the day, Mickelsen did not want to subject his customers to this "modern" solution. But what alternatives were available?

Java and the Network Solution

The Network Station:
Mickelsen always liked the convenience of simply plugging in additional terminals when a customer needed to support more users -- a luxury that went away for those who ventured down the client/server road. But, he admittedly liked the GUI interface and speed of local processing that PCs provide. So, IBM's Network Station seemed the perfect solution... graphical, lots of local memory, and seriously fast communication speeds with the server. What's more, after looking at acquisition and support costs, the Network Station is one half to one tenth the cost of a PC.

The Java Environment:
It is clear that any application redesign in today's technology environment should be written in an object oriented language. Java, an OO environment, is known for its ease of learning (since it is similar to C++) and for its openness. But it could be argued that Unix made the same promise of openness. Unfortunately, there came to be so many vendor-versions of Unix that its openness almost became a misnomer. Mickelsen believes that Java will remain open (a.k.a., 100% pure Java) because consumers of Java applications are the millions and millions of Internet users, all of whom access the Internet via many different platforms. This "consumer pull" will enforce absolute conformity to Java standards.

Solution Synopsis

Application Rewrite:
I3, Island Pacific's family of retail products, is slated to be rewritten in Java. Initial attention is being focused on user-interface programs. With 15 programmers dedicated to the Java rewrite, beta testing of the I3 Data Warehousing module will begin in late 1997. General customer availability is slated for the first quarter of 1998. Incidentally, Island Pacific developers are delighted with the response and speed of the Network Station, which they say "just glides through application work, even demanding queries."

Software:
Sun Microsystem's Java Development Kit (JDK), IBM's VisualAge for Java, and IBM's AS/400 Toolbox for Java

Benefits:
Customers will save significant acquisition and ongoing support costs because of Network Stations.

Island Pacific will be able to deliver future enhancements at a much reduced cost because of the ease of component building with an object oriented language.

Ongoing support costs for Island Pacific (and for its customers) will be reduced because of the cleaner, redesigned OO code.

How Does This Solution Apply to You?
If you are planning to rewrite your legacy applications, Java is certainly worth a great deal of research. The AS/400 Division is putting huge resources into this new environment and will be delivering a Java Virtual Machine in 1998. The Network Station can also be a perfect companion to your new design efforts because of the tremendous cost savings it offers.

Business Profile
Island Pacific has been delivering quality software solutions to the retail industry for 20 years. While its headquarters are located in Irvine, California, Island Pacific also supports its worldwide client base from additional offices in London, England.

Island Pacific's I3 family of retail products consists of merchandising and financial applications as well as attendant modules such as gift registry, events tracking (sales and promotions), and store credit. Island Pacific is held in high regard by its customers, who have described this provider relationship as an integral partnership.

Paul Michelsen, founder of Island Pacific, is well-respected within the industry. He was a speaker at a recent "AS/400 Worldwide Consultant's Briefing." He is also touring four U.S. cities later this year with News/400 Magazine as a key speaker in its "AS/400 Java Summit" events.

For Additional Information
On its Web site, Island Pacific presents its very clear viewpoint on Java and AS/400. This "Why Java" presentation might be of strong interest, so plan to visit it soon at http://www.islandpacific.com.



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