It’s New Years resolution time again. I know that generally we think of doing that the last week of December but over the years I have decided that waiting until after the start of the year, and resolving to do whatever I seem to be doing anyway, gives me a much better chance of succeeding.
Most New Years resolutions revolve around self-improvement and I see no reason why the resolutions for your i shop should be any different. And the best improvement I can think of is to make this the year that you upgrade your i5/OS and get on 7.1. (For more information on just how to do that, stay tuned in January for a MC Press article (written by me) on what to watch out for in a 7.1 upgrade.)
I know, I know, your i which is currently running 5.4 (or 5.3) is running just fine and it will take a certain amount of effort to get up to 7.1. So why should you do it, what’s the point?
The point is that there are really only two types of i shops out there; those that are on the latest release and using it’s features, and those who are waiting for someone to come along and say it’s time to leave that old dinosaur and move to a Windows server environment.
And that brings me to the second resolution for 2012 – starting to use the advanced capabilities and features that 7.1 offers. (After all, it’s much harder to come up with a sensible argument for leaving the i if it is doing more than just running RPG programs.) That does require a commitment to learning and growing as a professional, but that shouldn’t be a problem. After all, that’s the definition of that term. It’s not just somebody who has been doing the same thing well for a long time.
So let’s make 2012 a year of growth. Upgrade to 7.1. And then learn how to use and implement what’s under the hood to help your company grow and to better protect the investment you have in the worlds best computer system. Let me know how it goes.
