Welcome to episode #37 of the IBM i Update, your monthly digest into what’s happening within the IBM i community.
This month, Andy Nicholson visits COMMON Europe and catches up with a raft of IBM Champions, discusses the latest technology and enjoys a ‘thank you and farewell’ with retiring Chief Architect and CTO, Steve Will.
Overview of Common Europe 2026 in Lyon
Now, during the heatwave in June, I visited COMMON Europe in Lyon.
The event was 3 ½ days of latest education, technology and trends delivered by top IBM and industry-leading speakers.
So, let’s take a look at some of the key announcements, ideas and conversations to come out of the event.
First, the venue was situated on the banks of the Rhone River in the City International Conference Space, and honestly, it was baking hot.
Thankfully, the amphitheatre enjoyed air conditioning, and that’s where we enjoyed the keynote by Katarina Gospic, a member of the global advisory board for WatsonX.
In this, and to a packed auditorium, she provided pertinent insight into how you can use AI to better effect and what tools… and skills are needed for maximum results.
The auditorium was just one part of the event space, and just outside the doors was the main expo area, otherwise known as the greenhouse.
Yes, here delegates baked themselves while quaffing quite excellent coffee and delectable French pastries.
The Expo area also housed many of the exhibitors, of which there were a healthy number, all of whom were eager to provide insight and help where needed.
The next generation of IBM i developers
There were plenty of talks and round table discussions too. One particular roundtable involved COMMON Board Member and IBM i NextGen stalwart, Zouhair Oulli and fellow IBM Champion, Tom Wellmann.
It was wonderful to see so many young people getting engaged with the platform.
NextGen positions IBM i as a gateway to exciting opportunities for burgeoning developers, with support for modern tools and practices.
And, newcomers will enjoy the backing of a community that will support the building of their knowledge through education, networking and real world examples and that’s what Zouhair discussed through his own experience.
He spoke on the opportunities, discussed ideas for how Common can support the the next generation of talent and initiatives for the IBM i community.
And, with IBM i skills in short supply and modernisation and AI booming, developers who master the platform can gain valuable cross platform experience and strong career opportunities.
Later in the day, I caught up with Zouhair and Tom and asked what NextGen was and what the roundtable discussion involved…
Zouhair: “First, let me introduce NextGen. It is part of COMMON Europe and aims to support young people who have recently joined the IBM i community, or who are considering a career in it, by providing useful resources, guidance and mentoring. During yesterday’s roundtable, we gathered ideas from the young people attending the event. Their feedback will help us improve NextGen and the ways in which we support people entering the IBM i community.”
Andy: “Fantastic. Tom, you are very much part of this next generation. What has inspired you most about attending this event?
Tom: “Hearing about other people’s experiences, I would say. I’ve heard and read a great deal about these events, and I have attended the German equivalents, but I had never been able to come to this one before. Now I am finally here, and I’m very happy to be part of it. It has been great so far.”
Andy: “Fabulous. It is great to see you, Tom, and you too, Zouhair. Zouhair, to finish, which IBM i technology inspires you most at the moment?”
Zouhair: “At the moment, I would say VS Code, because you can do so much with it. You can create your own extensions, it is open source, and it enables a large community of people to collaborate. That is what I like most about it.”
My thanks to Zouhair and Tom for their time and efforts with NextGen.
Networking at Common Europe
For me, the most valuable part of COMMON Europe was the networking.
The sessions and presentations provided plenty of insight, but it was the conversations between them that really brought the event to life.
Meeting IBM i professionals from across Europe created opportunities to exchange ideas, compare experiences and discuss the challenges organisations are facing in the real world.
Those informal conversations often lead to the most useful insights, new partnerships and future opportunities. COMMON Europe is not simply about learning what is happening across the IBM i ecosystem.
It is about building relationships with the people who are shaping its future.
Alan Seidan discusses VS Code and modern languages for IBM i
First, I met with Alan Seiden and asked him about the two sessions he delivered at the event…
Alan: “The first was “Securing Your Open Source”. It covered areas we do not hear about as often on IBM i, such as securing Node.js, Visual Studio Code extensions, PHP, Python, web applications and APIs. We all need to be mindful of security. The second was “RPG Unit Testing Made Easy with Visual Studio Code”. Unit testing is so important for any modernisation or transformation project, and for putting guardrails around AI. With these extensions, it is now much easier than before.”
Andy: “Absolutely. Visual Studio Code has really come to the fore over the past few years. Do you see it becoming the mainstay moving forward, or could it eventually be replaced by Bob?”
Alan: “Bob is really based on Visual Studio Code, so I think they work hand in hand. The extensions you can run in VS Code can also run in Bob, and IBM sees it that way too. IBM continues to contribute to Visual Studio Code, and all those extensions gain extra mileage, or kilometres, because they can also be used in Bob. I see that moving forward at an even faster pace than before.”
IBM Champions Charles Guarino and Koen Decorte explain their favourite part of the event
I also caught up with IBM Champions, Charles Guarino and Koen Decorte, at the Gala Dinner and asked what the best part of the event was…
Koen: “AI, I would definitely promote it. Definitely go and learn all about it.”
Charles: “There’s a very high level of interest in AI for sure. But back to the best part, it’s the people, of course. It’s like coming home.”
Mike Davison explains what he’s looking forward to at Common Europe
I also had the good fortune to meet my fellow retro gaming enthusiast, Mike Davison. He was in the main expo ‘hot house’ on the Fortra stand.
Mike: “The event has been fantastic, Fantastic. We have had a lot of traffic to the Fortress stand. We have got a Millennium Falcon prize to give away, which is generating lots of footfall for us. So really, really good start to Common Europe in Lyon this year. As for sessions I’m looking forward to? I’m looking forward to catching up with my old boss Ash Giddins who is presenting Administration Runtime Expert (ARE) – one of IBM i’s most powerful, yet overlooked, tools.”
Roberto De Pedrini on the AI coding journey
I also had the pleasure of meeting Roberto De Pedrini again. Now, for those long time subscribers to the IBM i Update, you may remember that one of the first articles I covered some years back was Roberto using ChatGPT 3.2 to develop RPG.
Roberto: “Yes, we started by trying ChatGPT with RPG. It was good because it could create RPG code, and we were beginning to use this kind of assistant, but that was only the start. Now we have much more. We do not only have ChatGPT; there are many large language models we can use. We also have IBM Bob, which can help us change RPG code, create documentation and much more. Today, we can do more than simply create or change code. We can compile it and test it directly on IBM i. That is fantastic because we can use an LLM to understand the code, make the changes we need, and connect the whole process to IBM i. It is very interesting and represents a real change in how we develop in RPG, as well as COBOL and every other language we can run on IBM i. That is very cool.”
Gala Dinner Summary
Now, in the evening of Tuesday 16th June, a 20 minute wander through the glorious park saw us reach the Gala Dinner. Delegates and guest flooded the venue to enjoy an evening of great food, maybe a little too much drink and good company too.
My thanks for Common Europe and to Common France for hosting such a super soiree.
IBM i Chief Architect Steve Will’s parting advice
At the end of July, one of the most familiar and respected figures in the IBM i community will bring an extraordinary career to a close.
Steve Will is retiring after more than 41 years with IBM.
His career reaches back to the original development of the AS/400, and since 2007 he has served as IBM i Chief Architect, helping to shape the strategy and direction of the operating system.
Kris Whitney has been appointed as his successor as IBM i Chief Architect and he joined Steve on the stage to make the announcement.
For many people, Steve has become one of the most recognisable public faces of IBM i.
He has explained its strategy, defended its relevance and helped customers understand where the platform is heading.
However, for his final IBM i Guided Tour, Steve chose not to talk about technology, roadmaps or future releases.
Instead, he offered something much more personal: the lessons he has learned about building a fulfilling career. The presentation was titled Steve’s Advice for… Well, You’ll See.
That unfinished title was deliberate because, as the presentation developed, so did its meaning. Steve’s central concern was not simply of success, status or even happiness, but fulfilment through the development of character.
Or as Aristotle put it, to be eudaimonian in nature.
Now, I’m not going to dissect the entire presentation… you should really check it out yourself. But his message eventually came down to three wonderfully simple points for fulfilment: Learn, bring yourself, and be a good person.
So, while Steve was ostensibly talking about a career in technology, the qualities he described extend far beyond IT.
Curiosity, empathy, collaboration, supporting your people and contributing to something meaningful. These are all qualities that can bring fulfilment to life as well as work.
After 41 years at IBM, this advice may be one of Steve Will’s most valuable contributions of all.
Later that day, I had the opportunity to interview Steve – perhaps his LAST interview as CTO?
I asked him what he thought his greatest achievement was in IBM i over the years…
Steve: “You know, difficult question, and you warned me I was gonna have to talk about it. Putting together the team that I’ve got with so many technologists who can also take what they have built and explain it to the community, that team is extremely competent, extremely visionary, and cultivating them and growing them has probably been the most important thing that I’ve done. I’ve kept the platform alive in a lot of ways, but they’ve been my team, and so the team is probably the biggest thing.”
A great leader and human, thank you Steve…
Now, episode #38 will be following soon, with another Update from Lyon featuring a couple of technical presentations.
But for now, that’s it for episode #37 of your IBM i Update.
I’m Andrew Nicholson, and we’re Proximity, your application support, maintenance and development partners that are in your corner.
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