IDUG EMEA Malta 2018 – Day 2

Day 2 of IDUG Europe 2018 is in the books, yet another day full of excellent education opportunities and networking here in Malta. While I was reflecting on the events of the day, I got to thinking about our host island and the legend of Faith Hope and Charity, the three Gloster Sea Gladiator biplanes responsible for defending the island against overwhelming odds during the Siege of Malta in 1940. The historical facts are somewhat less romantic than the legend, but the biplanes and their names remain an important part of Malta’s identity.

What has all of this got to do with DB2? It struck me that I saw all three aspects of the legend in a single day at IDUG yesterday:

• All round me was evidence of people’s faith in DB2, from IBM, Rocket and the other vendors in the exhibit hall, to the many presenters and users who have travelled to the conference (many at their own expense). This passion and belief in the fundamental strengths of the product was evident in several of the technical presentations I attended, as well as the many animated conversations happening over lunch or coffee.
• The conference also has plenty of forward looking topics as DB2 continues to evolve, providing great hope for the future. Despite their advancing years (DB2 for z/OS is 35 years old this year, while it’s LUW sibling just turned 25) both products continue to be expanded and used alongside the very latest application technologies. Paul Stoker and Paul Whitmarsh gave an excellent example of this within their Modernising the Mainframe presentation on Tuesday afternoon, showing how Lloyds Banking Group is transforming its mainframe to embrace a more agile approach to application development.
• As for the charity part, that’s easy – look around anywhere and you’ll see at least one of the IDUG volunteers that selflessly give up hundreds of hours of their free time, from the CPC helping to plan and run the conference to the IDUG Board members responsible for the longer term strategy of the organisation. These conferences just wouldn’t exist without them, and their efforts are very much appreciated by all attendees.

With the conference only at it’s mid-point, there are still plenty of learning and networking opportunities still to enjoy before the closing session on Thursday. As I sit on the plane on Thursday evening I know that I’ll be looking back at another entertaining and informative week, but also thinking about those brave biplane pilots.