Written by John Mertic, Director of Program Management at the Linux Foundation
Access to real mainframe hardware is essential for building the next generation of mainframe developers, educators and open source contributors. While documentation, emulators and virtual environments provide valuable opportunities to learn, there is no substitute for hands-on experience with production-class systems.
That’s why we’re excited to share that the Open Mainframe Project now has mainframe infrastructure available for use by open source communities. This infrastructure provides our community with direct access to production-class systems for open source development, testing and education.
The infrastructure is already supporting contributors who are developing, testing and validating software, with plans to expand access to additional open source initiatives over time.
Putting Mainframe Infrastructure to Work
Contributors from Feilong and CBT Tape are already using the infrastructure to test and validate their code.
For these projects, access to real systems provides an important opportunity to work directly in the environments their software is designed to support. It also helps lower one of the barriers that can make it difficult for developers and new contributors to participate in the open mainframe ecosystem.
The available infrastructure supports opportunities across Linux on IBM Z, z/OS and cloud native technologies, bringing open source development and mainframe computing closer together.
For me, what’s particularly exciting is seeing this infrastructure move from an idea into something contributors can actually use. Hands-on access gives developers the opportunity to work with real systems, test their software in realistic environments and build skills that are difficult to develop through documentation or virtual environments alone. It also creates more opportunities for people to participate in the community, learn from one another and contribute to the technologies that support today’s mainframe ecosystem.
Investing in the Open Mainframe Ecosystem
As organizations continue to modernize mission-critical applications, the need for developers and educators with practical mainframe experience continues to grow. Providing access to shared infrastructure gives open source communities another way to develop that expertise while advancing the technologies used across the ecosystem.
The Open Mainframe Project thanks Broadcom and IBM for generously providing the community with access to mainframe systems, enabling hands-on learning and open source development.
Their contributions represent an important investment in the infrastructure that enables open source communities to experiment, collaborate and build.
Expanding Access
This is an important first step. As projects get up and running, the Open Mainframe Project plans to expand access to additional open source initiatives.
Open source communities interested in accessing mainframe resources can learn more and apply through the Open Mainframe Project Technical Advisory Council.
To learn more about the community, explore the Open Mainframe Project, browse our projects and community involvement, or connect with the community at SHARE Pittsburgh.
Real systems. Real code. Real hands-on experience. That’s how we continue building an open mainframe ecosystem for the future.
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