Happy 2017

Another new year is upon us and I am filled with excitement with what it will bring us all, and gratitude for what 2016 brought us too.

It is a truly exciting time to be involved with IBM's PowerSystems servers and the IBM i operation system. In my opinion the highlights of 2016 were:

• A new release of IBM i, 7.3, in April. Then its first TR in October.
• Temporal tables.
• Two TRs for IBM i 7.2 matching the 7.3 releases.
• A redesigned, and in my opinion much improved, IBM KnowledgeCenter.
• Two new user groups. The first in Southampton, UK, and the second in the Mid Atlantic region of the USA. (If there were others please let me know so I can add them to this list of IBM i user groups)
• Creation of the RPGPGM.COM Facebook page, a place where I post links to stories I think will be of interest to the IBM i community. You can find it at facebook.com/rpgpgmcom. Feel free to "Like" and "Follow" it as the more people we have the merrier.

A lot more happened too in the IBM i world in 2016. What were your favorite things that happened last year?

And what will happen this year?

• PowerSystems servers with the Power9 chip?
• New TRs for 7.3 and 7.2? I think it unlikely that there will be a new release this year, now wait IBM to prove me wrong.
• Lots of cool stuff added to SQL and RPG?

What would you like to happen this year?

We also have the following anniversaries this year:

• 58th anniversary of the RPG programming language
• 29th anniversary of the launch of the AS400, distinguished forerunner of the PowerSystems and IBM i
• 22nd anniversary of the launch of RPGLE
• 16th anniversary of the introduction of the free form calculation specification in RPG
• 4th anniversary of this web site
• 4th anniversary of free form definitions in RPG
• 2nd anniversary of totally fully free RPG

Let's raise a glass of our favorite beverage and make a toast to give thanks for IBM i and to all the good things that happened to it last year. Then raise a second glass in anticipation of what 2017 will bring.